PRIME MINISTER

Africa

Julian Brazier: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost was to the public exchequer of his recent visit to Africa; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list.
	All Ministers' travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the "Ministerial Code", and the accompanying guidance document, "Travel by Ministers". Information for 2007-08 will be published in the normal way.

Czech Republic: Ballistic Missile Defence

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what matters concerning the deployment of missile defence systems he discussed with his Czech counterpart on 13 June.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the press conference I held with Prime Minister Topolanek on 13 June 2007 (http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/ Page11944.asp). A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Departments: Attorney-General

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions and on which dates since 1 January 2006  (a) he and  (b) members of his staff at No. 10 Downing Street have spoken to the Attorney-General; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: My officials and I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Departments: Visits Abroad

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost has been of his overseas visits since 10 May 2007; which countries he has visited; how many  (a) officials,  (b) advisers and  (c) members of his family accompanied him; what the cost was in each case; where he and those who accompanied him stayed during each visit; what the cost was in each case; if he will list those persons he met during each visit; which British Government Departments provided briefing material for his use during each visit; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list. All Ministers' travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the "Ministerial Code", and the accompanying guidance document, "Travel by Ministers". Information for 2007-08 will be published in the normal way.
	Briefing for my visits is provided by the relevant Government Departments. I meet a wide range of people during my visits, including foreign leaders, details of which can be found on the No. 10 website.

IBM Corporation

James Gray: To ask the Prime Minister when his meeting at No. 10 on 2 December 1999 with Mr. Louis Gerstner Junior of the IBM Corporation of New York was first sought to be booked; whether discussions included the transfer pricing review of IBM then being undertaken by Inland Revenue in August 1999; and whether a record of the meeting exists.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 21 February 2005,  Official Report, column 193W.

Saudi Arabia

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister whether  (a) he and  (b) Downing Street staff have (i) met and (ii) had discussions with (A) Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia and (B) his representatives since May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 16 May 2007,  Official Report, column 754W.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

BAE Systems: Saudi Arabia

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will request the Director of the Serious Fraud Office to reopen the investigation into the allegations of bribery in relation to the Al Yamamah contract.

Mike O'Brien: No.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Solicitor-General how many times the Law Officers' Departments were found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I am answering this question on behalf on the Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Fraud Office, Revenue and Customs Prosecutions office, HMCPS Inspectorate and the Attorney-General's office.
	The definition of "found to have been in breach" can be broad. Depending on their nature, breaches by Government Departments of the Data Protection Act can be dealt with by the Information Commissioner, the courts or by Departments at an informal local level. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Minister for Children on the potential for co-ordination between efforts to identify potential abusers of children and of animals.

Ben Bradshaw: There have been no discussions between DEFRA and the Department for Education and Skills on this issue.

Animal Welfare: Transport

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 334W, on animal welfare: transport, what the figure of 217 non-returned journey logs represents in terms of the proportion of journey logs approved by his Department between 5 January and 30 March 2007; how many of the 217 journey logs have still not been returned; and what steps he is taking in respect of those persons and organisations that have failed to return journey logs on time and in compliance with the legal requirements.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is set out in the following table. The data have been collated from spreadsheets completed by Animal Health Divisional Offices from 5 January 2007 to 30 April 2007.
	
		
			   Number/percentage 
			 Total number of journey logs approved 2,004 
			 Number of journey logs not returned within one calendar month(1) 294 
			 Number of journey logs still outstanding 182 
			 Percentage outstanding 9.08 
			 (1) This figure has increased since the answer given on 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 334W, due to additional data being entered onto journey log spreadsheets. 
		
	
	Warning letters have been issued, as the standard response, to transporters who have not returned journey logs. These letters cautioned that non-compliance with journey log rules, as per Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005, may lead to future journey logs not being processed until outstanding logs are returned, with the possibility that repeated offences will lead to conditions being imposed on Transporter Authorisations.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the State Veterinary Service/Animal Health on  (a) the views of individual state-employed vets on bovine TB and  (b) the communication of such views to farmers.

Ben Bradshaw: The Minister of State and DEFRA policy officials meet with the chief executive and others from Animal Health to discuss the organisation's objectives.
	Those objectives include the delivery of agreed animal health and welfare strategies and policy, as well as supporting the development of evidence-based policy.
	The views of individual state employed vets and the communication of such views to farmers would not form part of those discussions.

Cotswolds Conservation Boards: Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the grant aid settlements given to the Cotswolds Conservation Boards by Natural England were in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what recent discussions he has had with Natural England about the level of these grants; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Cotswolds Conservation Board was established in December 2004. Responsibility for its funding initially lay with the Countryside Agency but, since its creation, lies with Natural England. The funding is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 617,314 
			 2006-07 631,816 
			 2005-06 810,387 
			 2004-05 456,192 
		
	
	The figures represent total funding for core (administrative) costs, specific projects and the Sustainable Development Fund. However, the 2004-05 figures do not include the Sustainable Development Fund (created in June 2005) nor one-off set-up costs for the board which were met by the Countryside Agency. The reduction in funding from 2006-07 to 2007-08 is attributable to a reduction in support for specific projects. There has been no reduction in core funding.
	I have not had any discussion with Natural England about this matter.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: Legal fees of counsel and solicitors in private practice incurred by this Department and its agencies over the past five financial years are as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2002-03 3,107 
			 2003-04 2,810 
			 2004-05 4,615 
			 2005-06 3,975 
			 2006-07 1,754

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff funded by the public purse in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate are classified as people without posts.

Ben Bradshaw: None.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Management

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007, Official Report, columns 80-1W, on Domestic Wastes: Waste Management, if he will place in the Library  (a) the documents outlining the assumptions about the costs of alternate weekly collections and  (b) the initial report of the preliminary benchmarking project run by Be-Environmental.

Ben Bradshaw: I have arranged for copies of the Waste and Resources Action Programme's (WRAP) Kerbside Analysis Tool user manual to be placed in the House Library.
	The aim of the Be-Environmental study was to conduct a comparison of a number of consultants' proprietary collection cost models. This formed Phase 1 of a more comprehensive study of the costs and performance of different collection systems and involved using models to determine the costs of a number of collection options.
	It is not WRAP'S intention to publish this as a stand-alone report. WRAP is using the findings to inform Phase 2 and will incorporate the relevant sections in the overall study report, which is expected to be completed early next year.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pilot projects have been established by European Union member states following the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, "Promoting more environmentally-friendly fishing methods: the role of technical conservation measures" (COM(2004) 438 final), dated 21 June 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Since the release of the communication, the UK has developed two discard pilot projects. The first focused on improving selectivity in the north east coast prawn fishery. I have arranged for a copy of the report of this project to be laid in the Library of the House. The second, for which the details are still being finalised, will be a project run jointly with the Irish Government, which will look at discarding across a range of fisheries in the Irish Sea.
	Details of pilot projects undertaken by other member states are not available.

Forestry

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made pursuant to the duty imposed by section 1(3) of the Forestry Act 1967, of the adequacy of national reserves of growing trees.

Barry Gardiner: The Strategy for England's Trees Woods and Forests to be published on 20 June sets out our objectives for their future role in England. This strategy focuses on maximising the public benefits which trees, woods and forests can deliver. Changing demands from society mean that public benefit is the key test of "adequacy" today. Sustainable management of the existing resource is just as important as new woodland creation. Increased afforestation must be linked with identifiable public benefit.
	We have seen a long-term increase in the area of woodland in England and the Forestry Commission monitors this through the national survey of woodland, which has been carried out every 15-20 years since 1924. In addition the Forestry Commission publishes softwood availability forecasts to help inform the plans of wood-using industries and investors. At present we estimate that only around one quarter of annual growth is harvested from England's native woodlands each year, and only 60 per cent. of the annual growth from England's conifer forests.

Nappies

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the revised version of the Environment Agency report Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK, May 2005, will be published.

Ben Bradshaw: The Environment Agency expects to publish a further report on nappies by the end of the year.

Waste Disposal

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence he has examined on whether there has been a causal link between the rate of growth of gross domestic product and the rate of growth of  (a) municipal waste and  (b) business waste in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: The most recent statistics(1) show that since 2000, waste (business and municipal) has grown significantly less than the UK's gross domestic product (GDP). This equates to average growth in waste of less than 0.5 per cent. per year, over the last five years. The average municipal waste growth up to the millennium was around 3.5 per cent. per year, indicating a significant step change in the UK's waste management. Data for 2006-07, expected in autumn 2007, will provide further useful evidence on whether the trends of recent years have been sustained.
	Between 1998-99 and 2002-03, the amount of waste produced by businesses in England fell from 69 million tonnes to 68 million tonnes per year(2), while GDP increased by about 10 per cent. In this period, industrial waste fell by 6 per cent. (2.5 million tonnes), declining faster than industrial gross value added (GVA)(3), which fell by 3.5 per cent. Commercial waste increased by 6 per cent. (1.7 million tonnes), compared with the 29 per cent. increase in commercial GVA. These changes mainly reflect increased employment in the service sectors and a decrease in industrial activity, along with increasing reliance on imports.
	The overall aim of waste prevention is to decouple waste growth from increases in GDP. The recently published Waste Strategy 2007 renews the Government's commitment to breaking the link between economic growth and waste growth, by placing more emphasis on waste prevention and re-use.
	(1) Municipal Waste Statistics 2005-06.
	(2) Environment Agency Survey of Commercial and Industrial Waste 2002-03.
	(3) Gross value added (GVA) measures the contribution to the economy of each individual producer, industry or sector. The GVA generated by any unit engaged in production activity can be calculated as the residual of the units' total output less intermediate consumption (that is, goods and services used up in the process of producing the output), or as the sum of the factor incomes generated by the production process.

Waste Disposal

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what statistics his Department keeps on levels of  (a) household waste,  (b) commercial waste,  (c) industrial waste and  (d) other waste in the UK; and how these statistics are used to measure the UK's progress in reducing the amount of waste it produces.

Ben Bradshaw: Waste statistics kept by my Department are available from the DEFRA website at the following address:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/waste/index.htm
	The recently published Waste Strategy contains a series of national level performance indicators, including on household waste per head after reuse, recycling and composting and waste arisings by key sectors (municipal, commercial and industrial, and construction and demolition waste). These indicators will be used to track progress in delivering the objectives of the strategy.

Waste Management

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has given to  (a) manufacturers and  (b) commercial enterprises on methods by which they can reduce their waste arisings.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA's Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) Programme has been established to provide targeted guidance and support to businesses to improve their resource efficiency and to minimise the levels of waste that are unnecessarily sent to landfill. For example, the BREW Programme funds the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP). NISP matches one operator's waste with another's raw material needs. In the first two years of its operation, in the region of 1.7 million tonnes of material have been diverted from landfill, with £70 million of cost savings.
	An early assessment of selected BREW activities suggests that the programme has made a good start in returning landfill tax receipts to businesses and helping them improve their resource efficiency. Around £4 has been saved by business for each £1 of BREW-funded advice and support. There were also reductions in water use, waste sent to landfill and the amounts of raw materials used by businesses. Many of the benefits will be seen beyond 2005-06, and work is currently under way to assess the impact of programme spending in 2006-07. More details about the BREW Programme can be found on the DEFRA website.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is also working across a range of industry sectors to reduce waste arisings. For example, WRAP is working with retailers and their supply chains towards its 2006-08 business plan target to secure reductions in packaging waste of 80,000 tonnes a year. WRAP has specific programmes with the construction and manufacturing sectors.
	My Department has also produced the publication "Saving money by reducing waste", which gives practical guidance on waste minimisation for farmers and growers and is available from the DEFRA website.
	Apart from guidance and support offered by DEFRA, there are also two sets of regulations in place to encourage producers (including retailers) to minimise, recycle and recover packaging and reduce packaging waste. We have asked the Advisory Committee on Packaging to work with industry to find further solutions to the challenge of minimising packaging, and recommend ways of encouraging businesses to further reduce the amount of packaging they use.
	The Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS), which was published in April 2006, also challenged the food manufacturing sector to reduce its own waste by 15-20 per cent. by 2010. Thirteen major grocery retailers (representing 92 per cent. of the UK grocery sector) have signed up to a voluntary agreement, the "Courtauld Commitment", and are working with WRAP to:
	(i) design out packaging waste growth by 2008;
	(ii) deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by March 2010; and
	(iii) identify ways to tackle the problem of food waste.

WALES

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 4W, on council tax: valuation, what change there was in council tax receipts as a result of revaluation  (a) between 2004-05 and 2005-06 and  (b) in subsequent years.

Peter Hain: The revaluation and rebanding exercise was intended to be revenue-neutral. Year-to-year changes in the level of council tax receipts are the result of local authority budget decisions.
	The increase in Band D council tax was 3.8 per cent. between 2004-05 and 2005-06; 4.5 per cent. between 2005-06 and 2006-07, and 4.4 per cent. between 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Additional Learning Needs Order

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what  (a) procedures and  (b) schedule for all forms of consideration and agreement of the Legislative Competence Order on Additional Learning Needs he is seeking to establish by both Houses of Parliament.

Peter Hain: The Government intend to present all proposed draft Orders in Council to Parliament for pre-legislative scrutiny in all but exceptional circumstances.
	On conclusion of pre-legislative scrutiny, the Welsh Assembly Government, in consultation with the UK Government will consider the recommendations made by Parliament and prepare a draft Order in Council.
	The draft Order in Council will then be formally laid before Parliament and will be subject to affirmative resolution by both Houses. If approved by Parliament the Order in Council will be submitted to Her Majesty for approval.
	The Government envisage a similar procedure for proposed draft Orders in Council that are put forward by Assembly committees or Back-Bench Members.
	The Government expect the proposed draft Order in Council on Additional Learning Needs to follow the procedure set out.

Legislation

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will bring forward proposals to provide for all proposed legislative competence orders laid before the National Assembly for Wales to be referred automatically to the Welsh Affairs Committee and an appropriate committee in the House of Lords for pre-legislative scrutiny.

Peter Hain: The Government gave assurances about pre-legislative scrutiny for proposed Orders in Council during the passage of the Government of Wales Bill, 24 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1329. Both the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee and the House of Lords Constitution Committee have announced that they will conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of proposed draft orders in Council and the Government very much welcome this approach.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

House of Lords: Reform

Mark Williams: To ask the Leader of the House if he will undertake a formal public consultation on the electoral system for the House of Lords.

Jack Straw: The Government will listen carefully and consider the issues raised during the debates earlier this year on the electoral system for the House of Lords. As I have indicated, I will return to Parliament to make a statement outlining the Government's approach on the way forward.

Members: Costs

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Leader of the House what the annual cost per hon. Member of the House is on the public purse.

Jack Straw: The overall costs of the House of Commons are the sum of the Estimates for House of Commons: Administration and House of Commons: Members. A range of the costs within the Administration Estimate (and also within the Members Estimate) do not relate solely to Members. Information for recent years is given in the table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Financial year  Total cost( 1)  Total per Member( 2) 
			 2006-07 (provisional) 365.8 0.57 
			 2005-06 (3)477.2 (3)0.74 
			 (1) In accordance with the principles on which the accounts are prepared, the information is in resource rather than cash terms.  (2) Using a figure of 646 members for 2005-06 and 2006-07.  (3) Expenditure on the Administration Estimate for 2005-06 included a technical accounting adjustment for pension liabilities (£116 million) and the General Election in that year involved payment of Resettlement Grants and Winding Up Allowance to retiring Members on the Members Estimate (£9 million); adjusted for these elements, the per member figure would be £0.55 million.

Oral Questions

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Leader of the House what consideration he has given to the amount of time allocated for oral questions to  (a) the Home Department and  (b) the Ministry of Justice.

Jack Straw: The allocation of time within the oral question rota for the Home Office and for the Ministry of Justice is being reviewed and announcements will be made in due course.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) off sale outlets and  (b) licensed premises were prosecuted for serving alcohol to individuals under the age of 18 years old in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The following table gives the number of prosecutions and convictions for the offences of "selling intoxicating liquor to a minor" and "permitting minor to consume alcohol on licensed premises" For the former, it is not possible to identify separately those proceedings brought against off sale outlets and licensed premises.
	Data cover the calendar years 2003 to 2005 and are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Number of prosecutions and convictions for the offences of 'selling intoxicating liquor to a minor' and 'permitting minor to consume alcohol on licensed premises' 2003-05 
			   Selling intoxicating liquor to a minor  Permitting minor to consume alcohol on licensed premises 
			   Prosecutions  Convictions  Prosecutions  Convictions 
			 2003 5 3 0 0 
			 2004 7 2 0 0 
			 2005 8 3 5 0

Departments: Official Residences

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the official ministerial residences allocated to Ministers in his Department; and what the total annual cost is of running each.

Peter Hain: When in Northern Ireland I stay at Hillsborough castle. As well as providing overnight accommodation for me, the facilities at Hillsborough castle are also used to provide official hospitality and overnight accommodation for members of the Royal Family, visiting dignitaries and diplomats. Other activities at the castle include departmental meetings, the Annual Garden Party and Citizenship Ceremonies. In addition to its use by the Northern Ireland Office and other Government Departments, charities and local community groups can request to use the facilities, generally for fund raising purposes, and the castle and grounds are open at certain times of the year for guided tours.
	The costs associated with my overnight accommodation at Hillsborough castle cannot be separated from the overall cost. The cost of running Hillsborough castle for the 2005-06 financial year was £4,948,666.27. As custodians of this listed building the NIO takes seriously the need to preserve, maintain and refurbish the fabric of the building. This cost includes the maintenance of the buildings and grounds, and the security of the castle, the grounds, and that of Ministers, officials and visitors while present at the castle. It also includes the cost of catering, hospitality and administration. £3,165,938.56 is included in this amount in respect of cost of capital and depreciation.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by his Department on public relations in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: In each of the last five years the Department and its agencies has spent the following on public relations:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 7,758.13 
			 2003-04 54,985.83 
			 2004-05 29,440.29 
			 2005-06 97,158.00 
			 2006-07 128,901.57 
		
	
	The reason for the increase in spend during 2005-06 and 2006-07 is due to the Youth Justice Agency's specific strategy of raising public awareness of the additional services available locally through the roll-out of the Youth Conferencing process across Northern Ireland.

Freedom of Information

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Freedom of Information requests have been received by each Northern Ireland Office  (a) Department or  (b) agency since the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force; and how many of those requests were (i) agreed and (ii) denied.

Paul Goggins: An administrative error meant that the answer to this question was not tabled prior to restoration. Had it not been missed, the answer would have indicated that the response rates for the NI Departments are as listed in the following table.
	This, however, would now be a matter for the Northern Ireland administration.
	The information provided covers the period from 1 January 2005 as although the Freedom of Information Act received Royal Assent in 2000 it only came into force from 1 January 2005.
	
		
			  Department  Requests received— 1 January 2005 to 30 September 2006( 1)  Number of resolvable requests( 2)  Number granted in full  Number granted in part  Number withheld in full 
			 Agriculture and Rural Development 393 361 241 54 66 
			 Culture, Arts and Leisure(3) 1,013 817 771 34 12 
			 Education 272 231 193 25 13 
			 Employment and Learning 183 163 131 23 9 
			 Enterprise, Trade and Investment 161 133 95 21 17 
			 Finance and Personnel 655 622 436 99 87 
			 Health, Social Services and Public Safety 247 218 174 22 22 
			 Environment 1,700 1,615 1,152 344 119 
			 Regional Development 646 637 583 23 31 
			 Social Development 295 261 213 29 19 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 157 139 124 13 2 
			 (1) Figures include requests made under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. (2) Excludes requests on hold or lapsed, where information is not held or where the request was outstanding at time of reporting. (3) DCAL figures includes requests made to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.  
		
	
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs published quarterly reports for Whitehall Department; statistics for the Northern Ireland Office are included in these. Figures for the first quarter of 2007 (1 January to 31 March) will be published in due course.
	The following table covers figures relating to the performance of the Northern Ireland Office. The information supplied in relation to the Northern Ireland Office does not include information on the agencies. The agencies are not required to monitor statistics relating to Freedom of Information requests.
	
		
			  Department  Requests received— 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2006( 1)  Number of resolvable requests( 2)  Number granted in full  Number granted in part  Number withheld in full 
			 Northern Ireland Office 400 302 140 58 54 
			 (1) Figures include requests made under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. (2) Excludes requests on hold or lapsed, where information is not held or where the request was outstanding at time of reporting.

Immigrants: Crime

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many foreign nationals were convicted of criminal offences in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: At present information in relation to nationality is not included in court sentencing data and therefore it is not possible to calculate the number of foreign nationals who were convicted of criminal offences. I anticipate that such information will become available with the development of the Causeway information system.

Northern Ireland Government

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those matters on which he will answer questions following the resumption of devolved government; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I will answer questions on those matters for which I retain responsibility following the restoration of devolution in Northern Ireland—primarily for policing, security policy, prisons, criminal justice, constitutional matters and the operation of the Northern Ireland devolution settlement.

DEFENCE

Ghana

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department is providing to peace support training in Ghana.

Derek Twigg: We provide a Defence section within the high commission and an eight man British Military Advisory Training Team as assistance to peace support training in Ghana. Ghana currently deploys upwards of 2,800 peacekeepers on peace-support operations both within Africa and elsewhere. The Defence Advisers and British Military Advisory Training Team provide day to day advice, training and assistance to this process.

Unexploded Ordnance

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the steps taken to remove land mines and explosive remnants of war.

Derek Twigg: The UK has been actively engaged in removing landmines and explosive remnants of war worldwide. This has had a real impact in reducing civilian casualties. The UK is contributing funds towards humanitarian de-mining programmes and initiatives to train de-mining personnel in Kenya and Kosovo and has built an explosive destruction facility in Bosnia. In addition since 2001, the Department for International Development has contracted at least £10 million per year on mine action. In April 2007, DFID announced a further £30 million to mine action over the next three years.

Warship Procurement

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the types and numbers of future warships to be ordered for the Royal Navy.

Des Browne: Over the next 20 years we expect to contract for or build more than 20 major warships, including nuclear attack submarines, new aircraft carriers and more air defence destroyers, and to begin a new class of fleet escorts. Numerous support ships will also come into service over this period.

Naval Accommodation

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account is taken of the implications for naval accommodation when decisions are made about royal naval training and the basing of ships.

Derek Twigg: The potential implications for naval accommodation, for both single personnel and families, are always taken fully into account whenever decisions are taken about royal naval training or the basing of ships. These considerations are an integral component of any review, such as the defence training review and the naval base review, that could have implications for the location of naval personnel.

Operational Injuries

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many very serious injuries have been sustained in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq in 2007.

Derek Twigg: Between 1 January this year and 31 May, seven military personnel in Afghanistan and 14 military personnel in Iraq were categorised as very seriously injured. Regretfully, there have in addition been 16 fatalities in Afghanistan and 24 in Iraq during 2007.

Super Garrisons

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the development of super garrisons in the UK.

Derek Twigg: The Army aspires to quartering the majority of its units in fewer, bigger and better garrisons, known as "super garrisons" over the coming decades. Detailed work to develop this approach is continuing. The actual locations of super garrisons have yet to be decided.

Surplus Military Equipment

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what safeguards are in place to prevent the acquisition of dangerous surplus military equipment by private individuals.

Des Browne: The MOD takes the disposal of military equipment very seriously. Other than major capital platforms sold on a Government-to-Government basis, the MOD does not sell any item that has a potential dangerous or offensive use, and all such items are destroyed or recycled. Other equipment sold into the commercial marketplace is demilitarised and declassified before sale, as appropriate.

Cocaine Interdiction

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Royal Navy is playing in the prevention of cocaine smuggling in the Caribbean.

Des Browne: The Royal Navy makes a major contribution to international counter drug operations in the Caribbean as one element of the UK's broader counter drugs engagement in the region. During 2006-07 Royal Navy vessels were involved in the seizure of over 17 tonnes of cocaine, with a street value in the UK of £680 million.

Airfield Review

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on his airfield review.

Derek Twigg: Ministers have received a number of representations from hon. Members and the public about studies that have been and are being undertaken across military airfields.

Troop Relocations

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the relocation of Army personnel from Germany.

Derek Twigg: As part of the Future Army Structures, I can confirm that the transition of 4th Armoured Brigade into 4th Mechanized Brigade has been made and the unit continues to train and equip for its new role. 4th Mechanized Brigade will move from Osnabrück to Catterick during 2008-09.
	In addition the BORONA Programme is currently assessing a number of possible UK locations for elements of the British Army's Germany-based units. No decisions have yet been taken.

RAF Cosford

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of RAF Cosford.

Derek Twigg: The aeronautical engineering and communications and information systems training currently delivered at Cosford will relocate to St. Athan as proposed by the Metrix Consortium as part of the defence training review programme. No significant moves, however, are anticipated before 2011. There are currently no plans to close Cosford, and we are exploring a number of proposals for the future defence use of the site.

Veterans Badge Scheme

Mr. Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the veterans badge scheme.

Derek Twigg: The veterans badge scheme has proved extremely popular since it was launched in 2004, with over 460,000 issued to date. It is my intention that all armed forces veterans should receive their badge at the earliest opportunity. A regular programme of extensions to eligibility has been conducted based on our capacity to handle demand, and further extensions of eligibility to apply for the badge will follow as soon as practicable.

BAE Systems Arms Contracts

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of his Department in the negotiation of BAE Systems arms contracts.

Des Browne: BAE Systems is the largest supplier of defence equipment to the Ministry of Defence, providing products and services in the air, sea, land and space sectors. As with all contracts placed by MOD acquisition staff, the contracts with BAE Systems are negotiated against a strict set of terms and conditions in order to deliver acquisition programmes to meet operational, programme requirements and to achieve best value for money.
	As with other UK defence companies, we also support the company's efforts in the defence export market through the Defence Export Services Organisation.

CAT Scanners

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made in ensuring the provision of CAT scanners in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Derek Twigg: Computerised tomography scanners are now fully operational in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bevin Boys

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made towards recognising the contribution of the Bevin Boys to the second world war effort; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Following the Prime Minister's Statement on 24 January that the Government would be announcing proposals to give recognition to the Bevin Boys, it has been agreed that responsibility for implementing the Prime Minister's decision should lie with the Department of Trade and Industry, as the Department responsible for the coal mining industry. I understand that a statement giving specific detail on the Government's proposals is imminent.

Veterans: Mental Health

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision his Department has made for the mental health care of veterans.

Derek Twigg: I announced on 11 June that the Ministry of Defence was expanding the medical assessment programme at St. Thomas's Hospital, London, to provide assessments to any veteran suffering from mental health problems as a result of service in operations since 1982. For the longer term, the MOD is working with the four UK Health Departments to pilot a new community-based service that will provide NHS health professionals with access to expertise in military mental health.

Armed Forces: Housing

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many units of family accommodation at Pirbright barracks are occupied by squatters; and what steps are being taken to ensure such accommodation is not occupied by squatters or vandalized.

Derek Twigg: We are aware of two incidents of squatters having taken over empty Service Families Accommodation (SFA) at Pirbright, both of which occurred in the early part of last year. The properties were "outside the wire".
	In both cases, the squatters were removed and steps taken to ensure that the properties are not occupied or vandalised by squatters again.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what programmes his Department is funding to look at counter measures against the RPG29 and other shaped charge threats to British armoured vehicles.

Des Browne: We constantly assess the threats facing our forces on operations and have a number of programmes in place to ensure we are fielding the most suitable protection measures.
	For reasons of operational security, I cannot provide any further detail on the programmes or protection measures employed by our forces.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was raised from the sale of departmental property in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: The proceeds from the disposal of surplus defence land and buildings are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2001-02 185 
			 2002-03 281 
			 2003-04 207 
			 2004-05 216 
			 2005-06 258 
		
	
	It should be noted that 2001-02 includes disposals in the UK and North West Europe only. Disposals in the rest of the world cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
	2006-07 figures will be available once the agency accounts of Defence Estates—the Ministry of Defence organisation responsible for the defence estate—have been audited. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many weapons mounted installation kits and general purpose machine guns are in theatre in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence is currently conducting a policy review of what information can be disclosed about operational equipment without compromising operational security or effectiveness. Until that review is complete, I am withholding this information as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces.

Military Bases: Cyprus

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence upon what grounds and for what reason a currency other than sterling will be used by British troops based on UK sovereign territory in Cyprus from next year; what consultations have taken place in connection therewith; with whom those consultations have taken place; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 15 June 2007
	Appendix O to the 1960 treaty establishing the Republic of Cyprus states
	"the currency of the Republic will be legal tender in the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs)".
	Since 1960 the SBAs, including the large numbers of Cypriot citizens and British military personnel resident there, have used the Cyprus pound and not the pound sterling. The Republic of Cyprus is expected to replace the Cyprus pound with the euro from 1 January 2008. If this happens then the legal tender in the SBAs will become the euro. Use of a currency in the SBAs other than that circulating in the Republic of Cyprus would be impractical, and would run counter to the 1960 treaty.
	UK military and UK based civilian staff will continue, as now, to be paid in pounds sterling and they can continue, as now, to elect to have a portion of their salary paid in the local currency into a local bank account. The same process applies in other overseas locations including Germany which also now uses the euro.
	HMG has consulted both the Government of the Republic of Cyprus and the European Commission on the practical aspects of euro use.

Veterans Day

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department has allocated for local events to mark Veterans Day 2007; and whether all the funding has been allocated to local events.

Derek Twigg: £250,000 was initially allocated to regional events meeting the criteria set for Veterans Day 2007. However, in view of the high number of compliant bids received, this has been increased and a total of £319,000 has now been awarded. We have had to give priority to those proposals that have clearly supported the objectives set out for Veterans Day. The closing date for applications has now passed.

War Pensions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many ex-service personnel are waiting for financial entitlements from the Veterans Agency;
	(2)  how many service personnel are awaiting  (a) war disablement pension payments and  (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments from the Veterans Agency.

Derek Twigg: At the end of March 2007 there were 6,016 claims being processed for a war disablement pension or associated supplementary allowances under the War Pension Scheme.
	Under the War Pension Scheme (WPS), only medical discharge cases involve serving personnel—all others will involve ex-service personnel. At the end of March 2007 there were 348 WPS medical discharge cases under consideration. Some of these individuals may have left the service.
	The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme deals with claims from both serving and ex-service personnel. At the end of March 2007 there were 111 medical discharge cases and 400 injury/illness cases being processed under this scheme.
	Of the 400 injury/illness claims being considered 156 cases were from ex-service personnel and 244 cases were from service personnel.
	Clearance times under these schemes reflect the fact that many claims require extensive medical evidence to be gathered under various sources, and it is often necessary to seek further information in the light of the initial evidence received. Evidence then needs to be collated and assessed before a decision is taken.
	Some 35,500 WPS claims and 4,800 AFCS claims were received in 2006-07, so it is inevitable that at any one time there will be several thousand being processed. This is normal work in progress, not a backlog.
	The WPS key target for 2006-07, to reduce the average time it takes to issue decisions on claims to war pensions to no more than 53 working days, was exceeded with an achievement of 49 working days. The AFCS key target for 2006-07, to issue decisions on AFCS claims in an average of no more than 35 working days, was exceeded with an achievement of 34 working days.
	Not all claims being processed will result in a payment.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 739W, on the Arts Council, how many projects of all sizes were cancelled by Arts Council England in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: On average, the Arts Council receives approximately 8,500 applications a year, resulting in awards for 4,500 projects on average.
	It is not possible systematically to identify records on the Arts Councils grants systems of awards that were cancelled. Consequently to provide an answer would involve manually examining hundreds, if not thousands of records, which would incur disproportionate costs.

Casinos

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will bring forward proposals to establish a parliamentary committee to consider the Casino Advisory Panel's report in respect of the regional casino and that of the House of Lords Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee.

Richard Caborn: Ministers are currently considering the options in the light of the defeat of The Gambling (Geographical Distribution of Casino Premises Licences) Order 2007 in the House of Lords on 28 March, and there is no set timetable for an announcement.

Departments: Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in her Department received bonus payments in 2006-07; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department makes bonus payments to its staff for two purposes:
	(a) special bonuses to reward outstanding contributions in particularly demanding tasks or situations; and
	(b) performance bonuses to reward highly successful performance over a whole year.
	
		
			  (a) Staff bonuses 
			   2006-07 
			 Number of staff awarded special bonuses 111 
			 Percentage of workforce 21.5 
			 Total value of special bonuses (£) 69,565 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Performance bonuses 
			   2006-07 
			 Number(1) of staff awarded performance bonuses 154 
			 Percentage of workforce 29.9 
			 Total value of performance bonuses(£) 343,595 
			 (1) 2006-07 relates to the financial year   Notes: 1. In any one year, some staff may receive both a special bonus and an end year performance bonus.  2. Performance bonus payments relate to performance in the previous year. 
		
	
	The largest single bonus payment was £10,000.

Digital Broadcasting

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what work her Department has undertaken with  (a) Age Concern,  (b) the Royal National Institute for the Blind,  (c) the Royal National Institute for the Deaf,  (d) Copeland Borough Council,  (e) the Citizens' Advice Bureau and  (f) other public sector or charitable organisations in relation to digital switchover in October 2007.

Shaun Woodward: DCMS and Digital UK work closely with leading charities through the Digital Switchover Consumer Expert Group. Representatives include Age Concern, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, and the Royal National Institute for the Deaf and the Citizens' Advice Bureau.
	Digital UK is running an ongoing programme of drop-in sessions at a number of locations in the Border TV region and is in Whitehaven this week with the national roadshow.
	Copeland borough council hosts the Digital Switchover Steering Group which meets every month. There are a number of joint events with Digital UK, including public meetings. In addition, Digital UK contributes to the council's newsletter with contributions, information and updates on switchover in the area.
	In Copeland, Digital UK co-locate their offices with Age Concern North West Cumbria (ACNWC) and all ACNWC staff have been trained to provide support on the digital switchover. Digital UK also work closely with the West Cumbria Society for the Blind, with whom they held a joint event at the beginning of the month. Digital UK also hold joint events with the Cumbria Deaf Association and have worked with the local Citizen's Advice Bureau.

Digital Broadcasting

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what work her Department is undertaking to develop public service applications delivered via digital television; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: A return path, which would facilitate interactivity with public service applications via digital television, is not currently a requirement for set-top boxes provided by the Digital Switchover Help Scheme. However, officials continue to have discussions with various parties about how these services might be delivered, and the requirements for Help Scheme set-top boxes are kept under review so that equipment will be updated so as best to meet the needs of the groups the scheme is intended to serve.

Digital Broadcasting: Border Television

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what involvement her Department has had with Border Television in preparation for the digital switchover in Copeland in October.

Shaun Woodward: Digital UK is in regular contact with the editorial team and management at Border TV. Border TV offers a vital local service to viewers in the region, and Digital UK's regional manager for the Border TV region, John Askew, regularly appears on local news programmes to explain to viewers what they can practically do to prepare their homes for the switch.
	In addition, the local news features a regular programme entitled "Ask Tim" whereby viewers send in their questions to the presenter who answers them on air. The digital TV switchover is regularly featured as a topic on "Ask Tim" and this is largely down to the ongoing and constructive relationship between Digital UK and Border Television.

Digital Broadcasting: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has collated data on the number of digital  (a) televisions and  (b) receivers sold in Copeland since the announcement in 2006 relating to digital switchover taking place there in October.

Shaun Woodward: Digital UK is speaking to retailers on a monthly basis to assess how much kit they are selling and the feedback from this process is included in the Whitehaven monthly progress report.
	According to the Q1 2007 Digital UK Tracker, 70 per cent. of primary sets in Copeland have already been converted. A further 27 per cent. of other sets have been converted. The proportion of the total number of sets converted is 49 per cent. We expect many people to wait until very near the time of switchover until they buy their equipment.
	It should be noted that there is currently no availability of Freeview in Copeland and that the only method for going digital before the switchover is satellite. It is only by switching off the analogue signal that Freeview can be made available to homes in Copeland.

Digital Broadcasting: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what methodology was used to decide that Copeland would be the first area in the UK in which digital switchover would occur; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Copeland was chosen as it offers an ideal environment in which to refine plans for the national switchover programme. The area is a clearly defined one with little broadcast overlap. Copeland has a good demographic mix, 16 per cent. 65+, 6.6 per cent. 75+, 21.4 per cent. registered disabled, living in a mix of private/rented housing/multiple dwelling units.
	The area will benefit significantly as the Whitehaven, Gosforth and Eskdale Green transmitters do not provide digital terrestrial TV currently.

Digital Broadcasting: Finance

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much digital switchover implementation in October will cost the public purse, broken down by main budget heading.

Shaun Woodward: The cost of switchover in Whitehaven in October will be met by the broadcasters. In addition, it is estimated that up to £1 million of the £603 million budget for the Digital Switchover Help Scheme (which is funded through the licence fee) will be applied in Whitehaven.

Digital UK

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what  (a) regulatory and  (b) oversight role her Department has over Digital UK.

Shaun Woodward: Digital UK is an independent organisation set up by the Public Service Broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel Four, Five, S4C and Teletext) and the multiplex operators. DCMS works closely with Digital UK to deliver a successful switchover.

Schools: Sight Impaired

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provisions she plans to put in place to improve the access to sport in schools for blind and partially sighted children.

Richard Caborn: The National School Sport Strategy aims to increase the proportion of all schoolchildren who spend at least two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport. The strategy includes a variety of measures to encourage take-up among children and young people with special needs and disabilities, including those who have visual impairments.
	For example, the Youth Sport Trust has recently been working with disability sport organisations, including British Blind Sport, to develop new resources for teachers and coaches working within our network of 100 multi-sport clubs for young disabled people. This network of clubs is scheduled to grow to 450 by 2009 to cover every School Sport Partnership in the country.

Swimming Pools: Finance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial assistance is available to fund community swimming pools.

Richard Caborn: Financial assistance for community swimming pools is available through Sport England's Community Investment Fund (CIF). Applicants need to meet CIF criteria and show strong links with Sport England Regional Sports and Amateur Swimming Association strategies. Since 1997 swimming has been the biggest recipient of lottery funding, having attracted £249 million of which £242 million has gone to community swimming.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departments: Training

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1122W, on departments: training, how much expenditure was incurred on services provided by each of the two firms referred to in the last year for which figures are available.

Hilary Armstrong: Cost incurred using these suppliers in 2006-07 will be available only when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2007 summer recess.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Equal Opportunities: Ethnic Groups

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government are taking to address inequalities faced by ethnic minority women in the workplace; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Edmonton (Mr. Love) on 14 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 520-21W.

Equal Opportunities: Public Bodies

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government are taking to increase diversity in  (a) the judiciary,  (b) the police,  (c) Parliament and  (d) other UK institutions; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Government are committed to increasing diversity and equality of opportunity in UK institutions. The Ministry of Justice is working with the judiciary and Judicial Appointments Commission to increase diversity, for example, by promoting the judicial service and widening the range of people eligible to apply for judicial office. The Judicial Diversity Strategy, setting out the approach, was announced to Parliament by written ministerial statement on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 25WS. The Judicial Appointments 8(th )Report published in March 2006 showed that the proportion of female judges appointed in the previous year had increased from 31 per cent. to 41 per cent. Between 2001 and 2006 the percentage of female judges rose from 14 to 18 per cent. The percentage of those from a BME background appointed increased from 5 per cent. to 17 per cent. over the previous seven years.
	Colleagues in the Home Office are extremely active in pushing for greater diversity in the police and have introduced a number of initiatives looking at recruitment, retention and progression. These include positive action guidelines on recruitment, and a toolkit looking into the setting of targets for the recruitment of women. Twenty-Two per cent. of police officers are women, and 3.7 per cent. of police officers are from ethnic minority backgrounds. Progress has been made in recruiting minority ethnic Special Constables (6.6 per cent.) and Police Staff (6.9 per cent.) and especially minority ethnic Police Community Support Officers (15.2 per cent.).
	In 2002 we introduced the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act allowing positive measures towards women's increased participation in politics. This legislation is having an impact. Women now make up 20 per cent. of MPs compared with 9 per cent. before 1997. However, there is still a long way to go: only 2.3 per cent. of MPs are from non-white backgrounds, compared with around 8 per cent. of the population. The Discrimination Law Review is considering the case for widening the scope of positive measures to target the selection of political candidates beyond gender. It is also looking at how to widen the range of voluntary positive action measures available to organisations as employers and service providers in order to prevent or compensate for disadvantage or to meet the special needs of groups protected by discrimination law. Our consultation paper, "A Framework for Fairness", setting out our proposals for a Single Equality Bill, was published on 12 June.

Refuges: Edmonton

Andrew Love: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many recorded cases there were of women being housed in refuges and safe houses in Edmonton constituency in 2006.

Meg Munn: The information requested is not available centrally at constituency level.

TRANSPORT

A303

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans are in place to upgrade the A303 to a dual carriageway; and what the likely completion date is of each scheme.

Stephen Ladyman: I have accepted the Region's advice that priority for a start on a second strategic route in the South West should be given to either the A303 Ilminster Bypass or Stonehenge, if the current review identifies a deliverable and affordable scheme.
	The A303 Ilminster Bypass is included within the 10 year forward programme which forms part of a high quality strategic route to the South West. Subject to regional funding, construction on this scheme could begin in 2014-15 with completion in 2017. The Stonehenge Report is still under review.
	The remaining unimproved sections of the A303 are:
	A303 Chicklade Bottom to Mere Improvement
	A303 Sparkford to Ilchester and Podimore Junction Improvement
	A303 Wylye to Stockton Wood Improvement.
	These three schemes are in the Region's longer-term list of priorities (beyond 2016) and are currently on hold.

A303

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were  (a) killed and  (b) seriously injured on the single carriageway sections of the A303 in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of people killed and seriously injured on the single carriageway sections of the A303 in each of the last 10 years are shown in the table as follows:
	
		
			   Fatal  Serious 
			 1997 3 26 
			 1998 6 29 
			 1999 6 21 
			 2000 2 15 
			 2001 6 22 
			 2002 6 28 
			 2003 2 19 
			 2004 6 14 
			 2005 4 11 
			 2006 3 16 
			 Total 44 201

A449: Safety Measures

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will request the Highways Agency to conduct a full review of the safety of the A449 between Claines roundabout and Ombersley before the agency transfers responsibility for the road to Worcestershire county council.

Stephen Ladyman: A full safety study on this section of the A449 was carried out in 2004. The resulting recommendations for improvements to the road were promoted at a public exhibition. A safety scheme involving improvement to the elevation of the bends and signing, and the installation of two mobile safety camera sites was completed in 2005. As a result of a follow-up Road Safety Audit of these works, further improvements are to be carried out later this year. These include additional signing and installation of an anti-skid surface and hazard marker posts.
	Negotiations are continuing between the Highways Agency and Worcestershire county council about the transfer of responsibility for the A449 to the local authority and no further safety reviews are anticipated.

Airbus A380

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many airports in the UK have the  (a) facilities and  (b) runway distance to operate the new Airbus A380 when it comes into service;
	(2)  how many airports in the UK have the  (a) facilities and  (b) runway distance to operate the Boeing 747-8 (extended range).

Gillian Merron: holding answer 15 June 2007
	Neither the A380 nor the B747-8 require any more runway length than other heavy jets currently in service.
	In the UK only London Heathrow airport has so far developed facilities specifically to cater for A380 and B747-8 operations.
	The development plans for London Stansted airport also include A380 and B747-8 facilities. Other UK airports have either yet to declare their plans for dealing with these aircraft or are content to operate them with existing facilities.

Automatic Train Protection: Inquiries

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of the 1999 Health and Safety Commission inquiry into train protection systems.

Tom Harris: £1.2 million

Blue Badge Scheme: Children

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received on the consultation on extending the Blue Badge disabled parking scheme to include children under two years of age.

Gillian Merron: The Department is proposing to extend the eligibility criteria for a Blue Badge to children under the age of two with specific medical conditions.
	The consultation exercise is due to finish on 19 June and the replies will be analysed after that date.

Eurostar: Ashford Kent

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has had from local interest groups regarding the Ashford International Eurostar service in the last 12 months.

Tom Harris: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1270-1W.

FV Gaul Inquiry

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of the FV Gaul Inquiry.

Stephen Ladyman: The total cost to the Department of the Re-opened Formal Investigation (RFI) was approximately £6.5 million.

FV Trident Inquiry

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated cost is of the FV Trident inquiry; who has responsibility for chairing the inquiry; and when he expects it to report.

Stephen Ladyman: Estimates for the total cost of the Trident RFI are around £2 million. The Sheriff Principal for Grampian, Highland and Islands will be chairing the inquiry. The timing of the inquiry is dependent upon the production of technical evidence required by the experts advising legal parties, and the report will follow thereafter.

Galileo Project

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the overall change in the projected cost of the Galileo Satellite Navigation System was in each of the last three financial years; what assessment he has made of the impact of those changes on the business case for the project; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Galileo is a European Community project which the Government accept should be managed at European level.
	The EU, and member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) jointly fund the design and development programme for Galileo. The ESA estimate for the cost of the development phase (in orbit validation or IOV) has increased by €136.7 million, in 2001 prices, over the last three years:
	cost in 2005: €1,557.4 million (€1,452.0 million in 2001 prices);
	cost at March 2007: €1,788.4 million (€1,588.7 million in 2001 prices).
	At the last meeting of the ESA programme board which deals with Galileo, in May 2007, the ESA executive informed its member states that it is assessing issues which may affect the costs of the programme. These relate to the contracts for the second test satellite, GIOVE-B, and the IOV phase. They were not yet able to define the costs.
	The Nice European Council of December 2000 decided on a public private partnership (PPP) for the deployment and operation phase. This was to be one- third EC, two-thirds private funding, with a 20-year concession.
	The draft EU Financial Regulation currently allocates €900 million, at 2004 prices, towards the deployment and operation of the system.
	On 8 June Transport Council Ministers concluded that the current negotiations have failed. The Commission has been requested to submit to the October Council for decision detailed alternative proposals for taking the project forward. These should be based on an additional thorough assessment of costs, risks, revenues and timetable. The need for competition in a procurement strategy has been emphasised. The Commission was also requested to bring forward proposals for strengthening the public governance of the programme. The UK, jointly with the Netherlands and supported by Slovakia and Cyprus, submitted a minutes statement stressing our commitment to the PPP principle for major infrastructure projects, our concerns on the potential increased costs of public procurement, the need for a reassessment of the business case for Galileo, competitive procurement, sound risk management, and ensuring that any extra funds are kept within the current EU financial perspective. The cost of this phase will not be known until Council makes that decision.
	The European Commission's Communication of 16 May 2007 does not provide an assessment of the impact of cost changes on the business case for the project.

Galileo Project

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the expected cost-benefit ratio of the Galileo Satellite Navigation System was in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06 and  (c) 2006-07;
	(2)  what limit the UK Government have set for  (a) the maximum level of funding that it would approve for the Galileo project and  (b) the cost-benefit ratio at which it would withdraw its support for the project.

Stephen Ladyman: No annual cost-benefit ratios have been produced by the Commission. Cost information has been updated from time to time. At the beginning of the programme, the Commission engaged Price Waterhouse Coopers. Their report of November 2001 identified a positive benefit-cost ratio of 4.6:1.
	The conclusions of the December 2004 Transport Council asked the Commission to submit a reasoned analysis of the results of the public private partnership (PPP) negotiations, including on risk allocation and final costs, before any final decision was made. The UK, supported by Austria, entered a minutes statement stressing the need for the proposed risk and cost allocations between public and private sector to be acceptable to Council.
	In spring 2006, three studies were commissioned by the Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU) and reported to member states at the GJU Supervisory Board. The studies covered revenues, costs, and the value for money of the satellite procurement: no overall cost-benefit analysis was produced.
	The most recent Commission Communication, 16 May 2007, sets out 23-year net present values (NPVs) of:
	(i) €1.8 billion for a PPP as foreseen, except that four of the deployment satellites would be procured by the public sector, as risk mitigation; and
	(ii) €2.2 billion for the public procurement of 18 satellites, with a further 12 purchased by the private sector; and
	(iii) €1.0 billion for the public procurement of 30.
	On 8 June Transport Council Ministers concluded that the current negotiations have failed. The Commission has been requested to submit to the October Council for decision detailed alternative proposals for taking the project forward. These should be based on an additional thorough assessment of costs, risks, revenues and timetable. The need for competition in a procurement strategy has been emphasised. The Commission was also requested to bring forward proposals for strengthening the public governance of the programme. The UK, jointly with the Netherlands and supported by Slovakia and Cyprus, submitted a minutes statement stressing our commitment to the PPP principle for major infrastructure projects, our concerns on the potential increased costs of public procurement, the need for a reassessment of the business case for Galileo, competitive procurement, sound risk management, and ensuring that any extra funds are kept within the current EU financial perspective.
	The Government have not set either a maximum level of funding that they would approve for the project, or a cost-benefit ratio at which they would withdraw their support. The latest information from the European Space Agency is that costs of the development phase are €1778.40 million to date (2007 cash terms). The draft EU Financial Regulation allocates €900 million, at 2004 prices, to the deployment phase.
	The Government are strongly committed to the existing budget ceilings and to ensuring that there is no reopening of the Financial Perspective. The principle that member states would not be required to fund Galileo from national budgets for the deployment and operational phases of the programme was agreed at the March 2002 Transport Council. The Government remain committed to this principle.

Galileo Project

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what return he expects to receive on the UK's contribution to the Galileo project; and how it will be calculated;
	(2)  what evaluations he has made of the market opportunities and applications of Galileo; when those evaluations were made; and when they were last revised.

Stephen Ladyman: No calculation of UK return has been made for the programme as a whole.
	ESA operates an industrial policy that provides for a geographical return based on member state contributions. The UK commitment to the ESA element of the design and development phase of the programme is €142 million. The value of contracts awarded to UK companies up to 15 May 2007 was €212.7 million.
	The EU's contribution to the design and development phase is made from the EC budget and is estimated by the Commission to be €790 million. The UK makes its contributions to the EC budget as a whole and not to individual spending programmes within it.
	There is not an identified UK contribution to the design and development phase of the programme via the EU budget.
	The Government expect benefits from their investment in Galileo for companies that provide space technology and services, and for companies that exploit the technology in downstream applications. A study commissioned by the British National Space Centre (BNSC) in 2005 evaluated the economic impact of Galileo in the UK. It identified benefits for space segment industries and for downstream services and products.

Galileo Project

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the total cost is of the full number of satellites proposed under the Galileo project; how many there are at the moment; and how many are planned in the future;
	(2)  how many Galileo satellites will be purchased by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union under the new programme; and what percentage of the cost of a re-programmed and re-financed Galileo will be borne by the UK.

Stephen Ladyman: The Galileo global constellation is expected to comprise 30 satellites. The Commission has based its assessment and its proposals to the Transport Council on the provision of 30.
	A first test satellite, GIOVE-A, was launched in December 2005 and is providing operational signals. A second test satellite, GIOVE-B, has been delayed and is scheduled to be launched by end 2007.
	On 8 June Transport Council Ministers concluded that the current negotiations have failed. The Commission has been requested to submit to the October Council for decision detailed alternative proposals for taking the project forward. These should be based on an additional thorough assessment of costs, risks, revenues and timetable. The need for competition in a procurement strategy has been emphasised. The Commission was also requested to bring forward proposals for strengthening the public governance of the programme. The UK, jointly with the Netherlands and supported by Slovakia and Cyprus, submitted a minutes statement stressing our commitment to the PPP principle for major infrastructure projects, our concerns on the potential increased costs of public procurement, the need for a reassessment of the business case for Galileo, competitive procurement, sound risk management, and ensuring that any extra funds are kept within the current EU financial perspective. The timetable for the programme, its funding, and its organisation are subject to these decisions at Council.

Galileo Project

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to strengthen the GNSS programme as referred to in the European Commission communication COM (2007) 261 of 16 May 2007; and by what mechanisms it will be strengthened.

Stephen Ladyman: In its Resolution of 24 April 2007, the European Parliament called on the Commission to:
	"make a proposal—together with the European Space Agency (ESA)—capable of solving the problem of better public governance by ensuring clear political responsibility and leadership on the part of the Commission."
	The Commission Communication of 16 May 2007 refers to this request. The Communication proposes that the Commission be asked to bring forward proposals for stronger public governance of the project with clearer divisions of responsibility between the Commission, ESA and the European GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA). On 8 June 2007 Transport Council asked the Commission to submit in September proposals for
	"a sound public sector management structure of the programme on the basis of a clear division of responsibilities between Commission, ESA, GSA, member states and Council".

Galileo Project

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the scope is of the European Union EGNOS programme; what the timetable is for its implementation; what its cost will be to the UK; how the programme is regulated; which British  (a) nationals and  (b) firms are involved in this initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is a satellite based augmentation system (SBAS) that will augment the two satellite navigation systems now operating, the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Russian Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) systems, and make them suitable for safety-critical applications such as flying aircraft or navigating ships through narrow channels.
	It is a joint project of the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Commission and Eurocontrol (the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation), with the involvement of the principal European Air Traffic Service Providers, including NATS plc. The programme is regulated as an ESA programme under its ARTES 9 programme. The integration of EGNOS into the Galileo programme was decided by Transport Council in its conclusions of June 2003.
	The programme funding currently provides for the development and operation of the system by ESA until 31 March 2008. Arrangements and the funding of EGNOS after March 2008 are unlikely to be decided until the October 2007 Transport Council.
	The ARTES 9 programme of ESA is funded by subscriptions from its member states. The European Community also contributes as have the principal European air traffic service providers. Since the start of the programme, UK contributions to ESA have been almost €35 million.
	This industrial sector is international in nature but prominent firms operating in the UK that have been awarded contracts by ESA include British Telecommunications, Inmarsat UK, LogicaCMG UK, Thales (UK), and Vega UK.
	Accordingly, accurate information on all specific British nationals and firms that have been involved in this initiative would be difficult to provide and only at disproportionate cost.

Galileo Project: Finance

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the  (a) cost and  (b) merits of funding the Galileo project through (i) public and (ii) private finance.

Stephen Ladyman: Galileo is a European Community project which the Government accept should be managed at European level.
	The most recent Commission Communication, 16 May 2007, sets out 23-year net present values (NPVs) of:
	i. €1.8 billion for a PPP as foreseen, except that four of the deployment satellites would be procured by the public sector, as risk mitigation; and
	ii. €2.2 billion for the public procurement of 18 satellites, with a further 12 purchased by the private sector; and
	iii. €1.0 billion for the public procurement of 30.
	On 8 June Transport Council Ministers concluded that the current negotiations have failed. The Commission has been requested to submit detailed alternative proposals for taking the project forward to the October Council for decision. These should be based on an additional thorough assessment of costs, risks, revenues and timetable. The need for competition in a procurement strategy has been emphasised. The Commission was also requested to bring forward proposals for strengthening the public governance of the programme. The timetable for the programme, its funding, and its organisation are subject to these decisions.
	The UK, jointly with the Netherlands and supported by Slovakia and Cyprus, submitted a minutes statement stressing our commitment to the PPP principle for major infrastructure projects, our concerns on the potential increased costs of public procurement, the need for a reassessment of the business case for Galileo, competitive procurement, sound risk management, and ensuring that any extra funds are kept within the current EU financial perspective.
	The Department has not made a separate estimate of the costs and merits of funding the Galileo project through public and private finance.

Galileo Project: Finance

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the balance of risk between private and public sectors in the Galileo project is the same as that adopted by the Government in relation to domestic public private partnerships.

Stephen Ladyman: The proposed commercial public-private partnership (PPP) structure developed by the Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU), and subsequently the European GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA), on behalf of the European Community aimed to obtain best value for money by placing risks with those best able to manage them. Negotiations on risk allocation had not been concluded when the heads of terms, version 1, was signed in November 2006. On 8 June the Transport Council concluded that the PPP negotiations had failed and should be ended.
	There are no UK PPPs directly comparable with the Galileo project.

Galileo Project: Finance

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the total cost of the Galileo programme between 2007 to 2013 will be paid for by the UK.

Stephen Ladyman: The EC budget commitment for Galileo under the 2007-13 Financial Perspective will not be decided until after the summer.
	The UK makes its contributions to the EC budget as a whole and not to individual spending programmes within it. Before taking account of the abatement, the UK contribution to the EC budget in 2007 is estimated to be 17.1 per cent. of the total. Over the period 2007-13, the draft EU Financial Regulation allocates €900 million, at 2004 prices, to the Galileo deployment phase.
	The EU and the member states of ESA jointly fund the design and development programme for Galileo. As an ESA member state, the UK has committed €142 million to the design and development phase. This represents just under 17 per cent. of the subscription made to the programme by participating member states, and is comparable with contributions made by Germany, France and Italy. By the end of March 2007, payments to ESA amounted to just over half of the €142 million, leaving the remainder to be paid during 2007-13.
	ESA has recently identified additional costs for the design and development phase. It is expected that the ESA executive will apply a rule that enables them to draw down up to 20 per cent. more than the original subscription made by the participating member state. ESA has also identified other additional requirements, the cost of which has not yet been scoped.
	The principle that EU member states would not be required to fund the deployment and operational phases of the Galileo programme from national budgets was agreed at the March 2002 Transport Council. The Government remain committed to this principle.

M3

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide estimates of the level of noise between junctions five and seven of the M3 motorway in each of the last 20 years for which data are available further to the answer of 27 June 2005,  Official Report, column 1261W on the M3.

Stephen Ladyman: Noise data are not available to estimate noise levels between junctions five and seven of the M3 for each of the last 20 years. As explained in the answers of 27 June 2005, assessments of noise severity are made using the "Calculation of Road Traffic Noise" (CRTN model) which use distance from source, exposure, obstacles and traffic levels. Each of these factors varies significantly at any point along the road length. The range would vary between less than 60 dB to more than 72.5 dB at the road surface.
	The statement in the answer of 27 June 2005 that the noise level is likely to have increased by around 4.5 dB over the last 20 years was based on the approximate increase in traffic levels over the 20-year period.
	To provide retrospective assessments would require assumptions to be made about many of the variable factors which would reduce the accuracy of assessments to an unreliable level.
	The Highways Agency has conducted assessments using the CRTN model at specific "noise hotspots" and implementation of a programme of local noise mitigation measures is ongoing.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many MOT tests were carried out in each of the last three years in the UK.

Stephen Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) publish this information annually in an Effectiveness Report. The Effectiveness Report for 2005-06 is available on-line at www.vosa.gov.uk. A hard copy of the report for previous years is placed in the House of Commons Library, Business and Transport section.

Motorcycles: Accidents

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of motorcyclists killed and seriously injured in the last five years had  (a) passed their test through direct access,  (b) passed their test less than two years previously and  (c) taken advanced training; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.

MV Derbyshire Inquiry

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of the MV Derbyshire Inquiry.

Stephen Ladyman: The total cost to the Department of the Re-opened Formal Investigation (RFI) was approximately £11 million.

Paddington Rail Accident Inquiry

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of the Ladbroke Grove inquiry in 1999.

Tom Harris: £8.6 million.

Railways: Fares

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of total rail journeys were on tickets with unregulated rail fares for each train operating company in each year since 1998-99; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. However, approximately 40 per cent. of train operators revenue comes from fares which are regulated.

Railways: Fares

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total change in  (a) regulated and  (b) unregulated rail fares was for each rail franchise in England for the period 1996-97 to 2007-08 inclusive; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Figures for average increases in fares can be found in "National Rail Trends" published by the Office of Rail Regulation and available from www.rail-reg.gov.uk. Standard class tickets increased by an average of 6 per cent. between 1995 and 2006.

Railways: Grayrigg

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the inquiry into the derailment at Grayrigg on 23 February 2007.

Tom Harris: The investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is continuing. RAIB currently plans to issue a second interim report later in the summer.

Roads: Accidents

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unlicensed vehicles were involved in road traffic accidents in each year since 2000.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 20 February 2007,  Official Report, column 589W, given to the hon. Member for Cannock Chase (Dr. Wright).

Roads: East Sussex

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding the Government has set aside for the construction of the Bexhill to Hastings link road; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The proposed Bexhill to Hastings link road, a Local Transport Plan major road scheme, was granted Programme Entry in December 2004 with an agreed Departmental funding contribution of £47.120 million towards the cost of the scheme. This funding is subject to a number of provisions including the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures. In addition, we also awarded East Sussex county council £0.850 million in 2005 towards eligible preparatory costs for the scheme.

Skips

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving building skips on roads have taken place in  (a) England and  (b) Wiltshire in the last 10 years for which figures are available; and on how many occasions breaches of section 139 of the Highways Act 1980 have been recorded.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.

Southall Rail Accident Inquiry

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of the Southall Rail Accident inquiry in 1997.

Tom Harris: £2.25 million.

Trains: Overcrowding

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on levels of rail overcrowding.

Tom Harris: The railway in recent years has been a success. Since privatisation, passenger numbers are up by 40 per cent.—driven by a strong economy, improving services, new trains and Government investment.
	We will continue to increase capacity through the franchising process and in other ways. In particular, the Secretary of State announced on 14 March that the High Level Output Specification, to be published in the summer, will include a commitment to a thousand extra carriages. They will be targeted at the most congested routes on the network.

Vans: Safety Belts

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many serious injuries involving van drivers not wearing seat belts there were in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Basic Skills

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) adults and  (b) adults over 25 years received Skills for Life funding in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06;
	(2)  how many  (a) adults and  (b) adults over 25 years receiving Skills for Life funding were given workplace training in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06, broken down by the number of hours of workplace training given.

Phil Hope: Figures for adults funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) under the Skills for Life programme can be derived from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).
	Skills for Life tends to be described as a strategy rather than a funding stream. There are aims that are funded with and without a programme weighting for Skills for Life, which can all count towards the Skills for Life PSA target.
	The following table shows the number of Further Education (FE) and University for Industry (UFI) LSC-funded adult learners (aged 19 and over) and adult learners aged 25 and over who could contribute towards the Skills for Life target in 2003/04, 2004/05
	and 2005/06.
	
		
			  Thousand 
			   Adults  Adults aged 25+ 
			 2003/04 210.7 148.5 
			 2004/05 256.9 185.1 
			 2005/06 308.7 223.2 
		
	
	The ILR cannot robustly be used to determine the incidence of workplace training.

Adult Education: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many adult learners were in further education in Copeland in 2005-06.

Phil Hope: Figures for those participating in further education (FE) funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) can be derived from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). There were 3,436 adult learners (aged 19 and over) in FE in Copeland parliamentary constituency (based on home post code of the learner) in 2005-06.

Basic Skills

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to meet the Leitch Review of Skills' objective to eradicate low skills among the adult working age population by 2020.

Phil Hope: We have accepted the very stretching skills ambitions for 2020 that Lord Leitch recommended in his skills review. Our current plans are to publish a full response in early July which will set out the coherent package of measures we will take to meet the ambition.

Book Trust: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding his Department provided to the Booktrust charity in each year since 2001.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 14 June 2007
	The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			  Financial year  Total funding for year 
			 2001-02 290,000 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 150,000 
			 2004-05 2,074,000 
			 2005-06 8,584,000 
			 2006-07 9,063,000 
			 2007-08 13,018,000 
			   
			 Total amount to date 32,929,500

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent by his Department on public relations in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: The Department employs public relations agencies for specific communications tasks, most commonly working alongside our press office to provide campaign support in local regional and specialist media. The amount spent on such activities in each of the last five years has totalled significantly less than 0.01 per cent. of total departmental spend and is as follows:
	
		
			   Cost( 1 ) (£) 
			 2002-03 567,987 
			 2003-04 1,105,207 
			 2004-05 1,593,317 
			 2005-06 914,163 
			 2006-07 1,630,935 
			 (1 )These figures include contracts placed by the Department and by the Central Office of Information (COI) on our behalf. 
		
	
	In 2006-07 the spend has covered:
	Work on the London Challenge including the 'London Schools Celebrating Achievement' campaign.
	Promoting a wider awareness of foundation degrees among learners, while also helping employers to understand the benefits of these qualifications to their businesses.
	Student Finance—a key objective of our activity in 2006-07 was to ensure that 16 to 19- year-olds and their parents were aware of, and understood, the new student support arrangements. This was important to help ensure that finance was not seen as a barrier to participating in HE.

Departments: Surveys

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's employee surveys for  (a) 2002 and  (b) 2004.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department undertakes a staff survey approximately every 18 months. The survey is a powerful tool which allows the monitoring of progress across a range of staff-related issues. The survey also enables the Department to compare itself with other UK organisations in both the public and private sector, including high-performing organisations.
	The Department completed a survey in 2003 and 2005. The results of these surveys will be placed in the House Libraries.

Education: EC Action

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which  (a) conferences,  (b) seminars and  (c) other events have been funded under bilateral EU-US funding for joint activities in higher education, training and youth.

Bill Rammell: This Department does not hold information on activities carried out under the EU's bilateral co-operation programmes which are funded and administered centrally by the European Commission.

Educational Institutions: Israel

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely impact on UK universities of the decision by the University and College Union to boycott contacts with Israeli academics and Israeli higher educational institutions;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely impact on scientific research in the UK of the decision by the University and College Union to boycott Israeli academics and Israeli higher educational institutions.

Bill Rammell: holding answer s  11 June 2007
	The UK Government fully support academic freedom and are firmly against any academic boycotts of Israel or Israeli academics. While I appreciate the independence of the UCU, I am very disappointed that the union has decided to pass a motion which encourages its members to consider boycotting Israeli academics and education institutions. I profoundly believe this does nothing to promote the middle east peace process, in fact the reverse. Within both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories there are both progressives and reactionaries. The problem with academic boycotts and the problem with what the UCU is proposing is that it makes the job of the progressives more difficult and it could reinforce the stance of those who take a hard line position.
	I have recently returned from a visit to Israel where I met with both Israeli and Palestinian academics. These discussions have reinforced my view that a boycott would be inconsistent with the spirit of openness and tolerance that should inform public life. Education plays a vital role in developing and aiding understanding between different people. It is therefore all the more important to keep open channels of communication with academics and educational institutions during these difficult times.
	As an independent body, the union would be free to take any action, within the law, voted for by its members. UCU members, like all HE employees, must behave in accordance with their institution's own anti-discrimination policies and the UK's wider legislative framework on employment and equality.

Educational Maintenance Allowance: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people were in receipt of educational maintenance allowance in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in each year since its introduction.

Phil Hope: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the DFES and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive has written to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 11 April 2007:
	I am writing in response to your recent parliamentary question that asked; "How many young people have been in receipt of educational maintenance allowance in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in each year since its introduction?"
	The answer to this question was covered in my letter dated 21 March 2007. I have enclosed a copy for your information.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 21 March 2007:
	I am writing in response to your parliamentary questions 125444 and 125465 that asked: " How many people in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex have received an educational maintenance allowance" and; " How many young people in Eastbourne received an educational maintenance allowance in each year since the introduction of the allowance "
	Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received one or more Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) payment is available at Local Authority level, but not at district level.
	The following table shows EMA take-up for East Sussex local authority area during each academic year since the introduction of the allowance. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year
	
		
			  Take-up of EMA in each academic year 
			  East Sussex  Number 
			 2004-05 2,195 
			 2005-06 3,854 
			 2006-07 to end February 4,735 
		
	
	I hope this information is useful and addresses your question.

Foundation Degrees

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his speech on Second Reading of the Further Education and Training Bill on 21 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 994-1003, what modelling has been undertaken by his Department which shows that  (a) more students will take foundation degrees if further education (FE) colleges are able to award them and  (b) FE colleges will be able to respond more quickly to the needs of employers if the Bill is enacted.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 11 June 2007
	We have not undertaken "modelling" to show this. Our decision to introduce new powers for the leading colleges to award their own foundation degrees was based on discussions with providers and employers; and is consistent too with our general view that education providers in all sectors perform better the less they are subject to restriction. The legislation removes an unnecessary constraint on the leading providers of foundation degrees within the FE sector, while establishing strong safeguards to protect quality and the international reputation of our degrees.

Higher Education: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many entrants to university undergraduate courses came from West Lancashire constituency in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the following table. Figures for 2006/07 will be available in January 2008.
	
		
			  Entrants to undergraduate courses( 1)  from West Lancashire parliamentary constituency ,  UK higher education institutions, academic years 2001/02 to 2005/06 
			 Academic year  Number of entrants 
			 2001/02 1,090 
			 2002/03 1,100 
			 2003/04 1,215 
			 2004/05 1,200 
			 2005/06 1,285 
			 (1) Covers students on full-time and part-time modes of study.  Note: Figures are on a HESA standard registration population basis and are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the participation rate in higher education was of people aged 18 to 21 years in West Lancashire constituency in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The main measure for tracking progress on increasing participation is currently the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR). This is the sum of the HE initial participation rates for individual ages between 17 and 30 inclusive. It covers English-domiciled first-time entrants to HE courses, which are expected to last for at least six months, at UK higher education institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh further education colleges, and who remain on their course for at least six months. The initial participation rates for 18 to 21-year-olds can be derived from the HEIPR and the figures are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  HE initial participation rate for 18 to 21-year-olds 
			   18 to 21-year-old initial participation rate (percentage) 
			 1999/2000 32 (32.4) 
			 2000/01 33 (33.0) 
			 2001/02 34 (33.6) 
			 2002/03 34 (33.8) 
			 2003/04 33 (32.9) 
			 2004/05 33 (33.3) 
			 2005/06 35 (35.1) 
			  Note: The HEIPR is usually published to the nearest integer, but the figures are included to one decimal place to inform comparisons over time. 
		
	
	The HEIPR is available for English-domiciled students only, and it is not broken down by smaller areas.
	The latest available figures on participation by local areas were published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in January 2005 in "Young Participation in Higher Education", which is available from the HEFCE website at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_03/
	The HEFCE report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 disaggregated by parliamentary constituency, local education authority (LEA) and Government Office Region for the years 1997 to 2000.
	Figures taken from this report for the West Lancashire constituency, together with the comparable figure for England, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Young  participation r ate (YPR (A)) 
			  Percentage 
			   Year cohort aged 18 in: 
			  Government  office region/country  1997  1998  1999  2000 
			 West Lancashire 33 32 32 33 
			 England 29 29 29 30 
			  Source: Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Lip Reading: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the costs for lip-reading classes are met by the Learning and Skills Council; and whether individual funding of learners differs by  (a) age of learner and  (b) degree of disability.

Bill Rammell: There is an assumed fee contribution for all further education provision funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), including courses in lip-reading. For 2007/08 the assumed fee element will be 37.5 per cent. meaning that LSC funding will continue to account for at least 62.5 per cent. of the cost of all LSC funded FE courses. A large number of learners also benefit from full fee remission including all 16 to 18-year-olds and those on means-tested benefits including those in receipt of the Pension (Guarantee) Credit.
	Additional Learner Support (ALS) funding is available from the LSC in order for providers to meet the additional needs of their learners, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The LSC also funds placements in specialist colleges for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities based on the learning and specialist support they require.
	With the exception of the rules on fee remission individual funding does not differ according to age, although providers have discretion over the level of the fees they charge and many providers will have their own local fee remission policies in place. For instance in 2004/05 more than 80 per cent. of lip-reading courses were free to learners either as a result of national policy or the discretion of the provider.
	Learners who do not qualify for free tuition can still receive support from Learner Support Funds administered directly by colleges. Learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with hearing impairments, are given priority for these funds especially where they are at risk of not taking up or continuing in Further Education.

Midwives: Qualifications

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2007,  Official Report, column 706W, on midwives: qualifications, if he will make a statement on the progress made in transposing the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive into regulations.

Bill Rammell: Transposing regulations have been drafted by all the Departments concerned. Consultation is at various stages. The Department of Health consultation runs from 25 May until 17 August.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what timetable he has for matching spending per pupil in the maintained school sector with funding for pupils in the independent educational sector.

Jim Knight: The Government's long-term ambition is for all pupils to have access to the same level of support and opportunities that are currently available to pupils in the independent sector. In this context, the Government will aim—over time, and adjusting for inflation—to increase levels of funding towards today's private sector day school levels.
	The Comprehensive Spending Review settlement for education announced in Budget 2007 allows the Government to take a significant further step towards this ambition, with total per pupil resource and capital funding rising from under £2,500 cash in 1997-98 to £4,800 in 2005-06, £5,550 in 2007-08 and £6,600 in 2010-11.
	Progress over future spending reviews will depend on the Government's fiscal position, demographic change, and progress by schools in continuing to deliver improvements in results and wider support for parents and pupils.

Science: Higher Education

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university science departments closed in each of the last 10 years; and what steps he is taking to seek to prevent further closures.

Bill Rammell: Information on the closure, merger or opening of particular university departments is not collected by the Department. However, some science subjects are starting to become more popular and the measures we are taking to increase demand and the extra £75 million announced last year should help to sustain capacity as demand increases. We have consistently made clear that if a science department closes at one institution, the Higher Education Funding Council for England should seek to maintain capacity elsewhere and we announced last year that the Council should report to us on how provision can be maintained in this way.
	The latest figures from UCAS for students applying to enter full-time undergraduate courses in 2007 show that applications for the main science subjects have risen significantly: Physics is up by 12 per cent., chemistry by 11 per cent. and biology by 6 per cent.

Sure Start Programme

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Sure Start children's centres have been set up; and what assessment he has made of progress towards the Government's target to have 2,500 centres by the end of 2008.

Beverley Hughes: As of 14 June 2007 there were 1,306 designated Sure Start Children's Centres and we are on track to meet our target of delivering 2,500 centres by 2008. DfES have appointed the consortium, Together for Children, to work with local authorities to help build their capacity to plan, commission and project manage the roll-out of sustainable high quality children's centres. Support plans are being implemented with the agreement of all 150 local authorities, with the level and type of support tailored to their individual needs.

Vocational Education: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact on attendance rates in education to employment and other vocational courses of the replacement of training grants by educational maintenance allowances.

Phil Hope: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's chief executive has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 18 June 2007:
	I am writing in response to your recent Parliamentary Question that asked "what assessment he has made of the impact on attendance rates in education to employment and other vocational courses of the replacement of training grants by educational maintenance allowances".
	Attendance rate data was not recorded at a national level on programmes where training allowances were paid prior to the introduction of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
	Attendance rates of those learners in receipt of EMA have been recorded since its introduction. Attendance rate refers to the percentage of EMA payments made each week as a result of the learner meeting the agreed attendance criteria with their learning provider. The average weekly attendance rate on programmes where EMA replaced training allowances is 85.0% for the academic year 2006/07 to the end of April.

Vocational Guidance

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to establish an all-age strategy for career advice and guidance public service provision in England following the recommendations of the Leitch Review of Skills.

Phil Hope: We will set out the Government's response to the recommendations of the Leitch Review of Skills in an implementation plan to be published in the summer.

Westminster Kingsway College: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on  (a) level 1 and  (b) other entry level places available at Westminster Kingsway College of budget changes; and what assessment he has made of the financial position of Westminster Kingsway College.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 4 June 2007
	We have increased investment in further education by 48 per cent. in real terms between 1997 and 2006. In line with our Skills Strategy, first set out in the Skills White Paper 2003, public funding needs to be focused on helping those without the basic and level 2 skills for employment and further progression in learning. This is a planned and continuing strategy to respond to the skills challenges we have as a country. As part of this strategy, my Department recognises the importance of colleges maintaining provision at lower levels to support progression and flow through to higher levels.
	The Department does not hold information on publicly funded post-16 places at local or regional levels. Mark Haysom, the Learning and Skills Council's Chief Executive has written to the hon. Member with the information you have requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 11 June 2007:
	I am writing in relation to your request for information about the effect of budget changes upon Westminster Kingsway College and in particular the assessments of effect on level 1 and other entry level places, and the assessment of the financial position of the college.
	The 2007/08 budget allocated to Westminster Kingsway College is £25.8m, which compares to £25.9m in 2006/07. Whilst this is a marginal reduction in recurrent funding between years, it should be noted that the college would need to meet the annual cost of living increase from within its budget.
	In return for the budget, the LSC has agreed stretching targets with the college to increase the proportion of full Level 2 places in 2007/08. Across the college sector in London, there is a comparatively high volume of places at entry and level 1, in particular ESOL, but there are fewer places available at level 2. There is a high proportion of the adult population who are low skilled and the LSC with colleges is keen to support employability both amongst disadvantaged groups and those in low skilled employment. To do this, it is important that there is a balance of vocational programmes at lower and higher levels. In 2005/06, some two thirds of adult provision at Westminster Kingsway College was ESOL and we wish to work with the college to achieve a range of vocational places and different levels leading into employment and higher skills.
	In recognition of this change and the impact on the existing profile of provision, the LSC with its partner, the London Development Agency, has agreed a £15m package of ESOL Support Funding to ensure that entry and level 1 ESOL places are sustained in 2007/08. The consequence of this additional funding will be that the budget for Westminster Kingsway College is unlikely to show a reduction in real terms against 2006/07. In view of this outcome, we do not envisage that the financial health of the college will be adversely impacted by the 2007/08 budget change.
	If you have any further questions about this matter, do please contact Christopher Wright at the London Central area office on 0207 904 0729.

Young People: West Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of young people in West Lancashire constituency were not in education, employment or training in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many people not in employment, education or training were aged  (a) under 19,  (b) under 21 and  (c) under 25 years in West Lancashire constituency in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The following table gives the estimated proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the Lancashire local authority area in each of the last three years:
	
		
			  Proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET 
			   Percentage 
			 2004 7.9 
			 2005 8.1 
			 2006 7.7 
		
	
	These figures are drawn from the client management systems maintained by Connexions services. Local authority level information is available only from 2004, and is not available for the West Lancashire constituency area. Comparable figures are not available for older ages.
	Connexions data relate to young people known to the service; those who attended independent schools or were at school outside England are unlikely to be included. The age relates to those of calendar year age 16 to 18 on the date of measurement.
	These figures cannot be compared with the national figures published by the Department and used to measure the NEET PSA. Along with not covering the entire population, the Connexions NEET measure excludes those on gap years, or in custody. The PSA measure is for academic rather than calendar age 16 to 18.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Drugs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to eradicate the poppy crop in Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK is spending £270 million over three years in support of the Afghan Government's national drug control strategy (NDCS), to bring about a sustainable reduction in the cultivation, production and trafficking of opium. This includes £130 million on efforts to provide alternative legal livelihoods, introducing new, innovative and sustainable ways for farmers to make a living. The NDCS is a well balanced strategy with four key priorities—targeting the trafficker; strengthening and diversifying legal rural livelihoods; reducing demand; and developing state institutions. As Afghanistan's partner nation on counter narcotics we are helping the Afghans sharpen the implementation of the NDCS and encourage international partners to provide continued support and resources.

Burma: Human Rights

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to promote the passage of a resolution on Burma at the UN Human Rights Council in September.

Ian McCartney: We have repeatedly raised our concerns about the serious human rights situation in Burma. We co-sponsored a UN Security Council Resolution on Burma in January. However the resolution was not adopted, as two permanent members of the Security Council—China and Russia—voted against, as did South Africa.
	We agree that the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) should address the situation in Burma. On 13 March I raised the serious human rights situation in Burma in my address to the HRC in Geneva. The EU raised Burma at the HRC on 23 March, expressing concern about the situation and calling for the release of all political prisoners and an end to the systematic human rights abuses in Burma. The EU also took part in discussions with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma at the March session of the HRC.
	We will continue to discuss with our EU partners about how to take the most effective action on Burma at the HRC.

Cambodia: Politics and Government

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the  (a) UK,  (b) EU and  (c) UN has pledged to aid the bringing to trial of those involved in the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia; and when she expects talks on procedural issues to be resolved.

Ian McCartney: The UK is a strong supporter of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, established under an agreement between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the UN. The purpose of the Tribunal is to bring to trial those most responsible for serious violations of Cambodian and international law and custom during the period from 17 April 1975 to 6 January 1979.
	The Tribunal is a hybrid model composed of national and international elements and costs are funded through voluntary contributions. To date, the UK has contributed £1.5 million. The UK is also active in meetings of interested states in New York and Phnom Penh. Other EU states (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Sweden) are also supporting the Tribunal and we encourage others to do so. The UN Office of Legal Affairs is closely involved in the management of the court.
	A Plenary Session in Phnom Penh of national and international judicial officers unanimously adopted The Internal Rules of Procedure on 12 June, further paving the way for the process of holding fair and transparent trials.

Chad: Overseas Aid

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response the Government have made to France's request for EU partners to send a force of 12,000 troops to Chad to provide aid for civilians seeking refuge from the Darfur conflict.

Ian McCartney: We support renewed French efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in eastern Chad. The UK has long supported the proposal for a UN deployment to Chad, including through adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1706, and welcomes initial preparatory work in this direction by the UN Secretary-General. The UK is prepared to consider other proposals to move the situation forward, including the possibility of an EU role, although no formal request for such a role has yet been made and force numbers have not been discussed.
	We remain very concerned about the humanitarian and security situation in eastern Chad. We are particularly concerned about: increasing levels of internal displacement due to inter-ethnic fighting and cross-border attacks from Darfur; the protection of refugees and internally displaced people; the security environment for humanitarian agency operations; and the fragility of the natural resource base to support displaced populations. We and our international partners continue to urge the Chadian government to accept a UN mission.

Chad: Peace Keeping Operations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK has made  (a) unilaterally and  (b) multilaterally through the (i) UN and (ii) EU to encourage Chad to allow international peacekeeping troops to deploy along its common border with Sudan.

Ian McCartney: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our high commission in Yaounde (which represents our interests in Chad) visit Chad regularly, most recently at the beginning of June, and raise the issue of UN deployment. A UK delegation, including the UK Ambassador-at-Large for the Sudanese Peace Process, visited N'Djamena in February. The delegation met the Chadian Foreign Minister and senior officials of the Government of Chad and took the opportunity to impress on them the need for Chad to accept a UN mission.
	On 16 April my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary called for UN Security Council agreement to a UN peacekeeping operation in Chad, as called for under UN Security Council Resolution 1706. We are working with the UN and partners in the Security Council to seek to address any concerns raised by the Government of Chad about the possible deployment of a UN peacekeeping force, including by sending a UN team to visit Chad. The UK and EU partners have supported a UN mission to Chad in the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council conclusions, for example on 23 April, calling for its urgent deployment.

China: International Relations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has held with representatives of the Chinese Government on the situation in  (a) Darfur and  (b) Burma.

Ian McCartney: We regularly discuss Darfur with the Chinese Government, including at the UN. We want China to use its influence with the Sudanese Government to ensure Khartoum supports the deployment of joint UN peacekeeping forces in Darfur, as well as committing to a ceasefire and renewed political process. We gave this message to the Chinese Government before President Hu's visit to Africa earlier this year. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised Sudan with the Chinese Government during her trip there last month, as did my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister during his visit to China in April.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Chinese Government about Burma. However, she urged China, in a speech to the Central Party School, to use its influence to improve the situation in Burma when she visited Beijing on 17 May. I discussed the human rights situation in Burma with the Chinese Government on 20 June 2006 and again during my visit to Beijing in July 2006.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place in the last 12 months between the UK Government and the Government of Cyprus on the status of the British Sovereign base areas in Cyprus.

Geoff Hoon: No formal discussions have taken place in the last 12 months between the Government and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus on the status of the Sovereign Base Area (SBAs). The UK's sovereignty over the bases, reaffirmed in the 1960 Treaty of Establishment, is not in question.
	The offer under the Annan Plan to cede part of the territory of the SBAs to a reunited Republic of Cyprus fell away following the failure of the plan. But we will look favourably on renewing the offer as part of a future settlement.
	The Sovereign Base Area administration maintains open and regular dialogue with the Republic of Cyprus, with excellent co-operation on a range of issues.

Departments: Mittal Steel

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which events held by  (a) her Department and  (b) UK embassies have been sponsored by Mittal Steel since 1997.

Ian McCartney: The Indian company Mittal Steel has not sponsored any events held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, at our High Commission in New Delhi, or at other British diplomatic posts in India. Information on sponsored events hosted at British diplomatic posts is not held centrally; to conduct a survey of other posts throughout the world would incur disproportionate cost.

Departments: Official Engagements

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) external and  (b) internal appointments (i) she and (ii) her Ministers attended in each week of March 2007.

Margaret Beckett: Ministers and civil servants meet a large number of people and groups in the course of their official duties. Cabinet, Cabinet Committee and parliamentary commitments of Ministers are already in the public domain. Details of all Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers' meetings with external interest groups for the period the right hon. Member has specified follow. However, it is not standard practice for Ministers to disclose details of internal meetings and meetings with foreign governments and international organisations as this may prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs and formulation of Government policy.
	 Secretary of State
	6 March—Labour Friends of Israel (to discuss Israel and related matters).
	14 March—FCO employee trade unions (to discuss FCO/union issues).
	29 March—Amicus and T and G (to discuss Colombia).
	 Minister for Europe ( Mr. Hoon)
	12 March—Eurostar (to discuss new East Midlands link to Europe).
	21 March—Trade Union Congress (to discuss Europe issues).
	 Minister for the Middle East ( Dr. Howells)
	8 March—president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (to
	discuss ICRC's work in the Middle East).
	12 March—chairman and representatives of the Zionist Federation (to discuss the Zionist Federation's plans for commemorating the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel).
	14 March—director of International Operations, Save the Children (to discuss Save the Children's work in the middle east, south Asia and Afghanistan).
	 Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs  (Mr. McCartney)
	1 March—Black Country Metals—plans for UK trade and investment engineering sector.
	1 March—Great Britain China Centre—Human Rights Project Work.
	6 March—Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA)—ROSPA's current work and relationship with the Department of Trade and Industry.
	6 March—TrustMark—Promotion of the TrustMark consumer work.
	7 March—China Britain Business Council—introductory meeting.
	 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Lord Triesman of Tottenham)
	22 March—speech—The Politics and Economics Society of St. Paul's School.
	22 March—meeting with members of the National Executive Committee to discuss Columbia.

Departments: Pressure Groups

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings took place between Ministers in her Department and outside interest groups between 1 January and 31 March; and what the date was of each such meeting.

Margaret Beckett: Ministers and civil servants meet a large number of people and groups in the course of their official duties. Cabinet, Cabinet Committee and parliamentary commitments of Ministers are already in the public domain. Listed as follows are details of all Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister' meetings with outside interest groups for the period the hon. Member has specified.
	 Secretary of State
	9 January—British Overseas Aid Group (to discuss overseas conflict issues).
	9 January—Standard Chartered Bank (to discuss global operations).
	23 January—UN Association (to discuss UN matters).
	29 January—International Crisis Group (to discuss current global issues).
	6 March—Labour Friends of Israel (to discuss Israel and related matters).
	14 March—FCO employee trade unions (to discuss union matters).
	29 March—Amicus and T and G (to discuss Colombia).
	 Minister for Europe (Geoff Hoon)
	15 January—Burson Marsteller (to discuss Government Policy).
	17 January—Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (to discuss EU Wildlife Legislation).
	20 February—Confederation of British Industry (to discuss European business issues).
	12 March—Eurostar (to discuss new East Midland link to Europe).
	21 March—Trade Union Congress (TUC) (to discuss Europe issues).
	 Minister for the Middle East (Kim Howells)
	18 January—Head of Hajj Advisory Group and Chief Medical Adviser—(to discuss UK Delegation to Hajj 2007).
	22 January—Chairman of Israeli TUC—(to brief on the work of the Israeli TUC).
	8 March—President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)—(to discuss ICRC's work in the Middle East).
	12 March—Chairman and Representatives of the Zionist Federation—(to discuss the Zionist Federation's plans for commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel).
	14 March—Director of International Operations, Save the Children—(to discuss Save the Children's work in the Middle East, South Asia and Afghanistan).
	 Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian McCartney)
	9 January—T and G—(to discuss the poultry industry).
	11 January—Non-governmental organisation—(to discuss Economic Partnership Agreements).
	16 January—Spirits Industry—(to discuss Market Access/Trade Barrier Issues)
	25 January—Caritas International—(to make contact with the Vatican).
	6 February—Lloyds TSB—(general discussion on Lloyds position on a number of different issues).
	22 February—British Bankers Association—(to discuss protection for consumers in hamper industry).
	28 February—Caterpillar—(to discuss emerging Markets and construction).
	1 March—Black Country Metals—(to discuss plans for UK Trade and Investment engineering sector).
	1 March—Great Britain China Centre—Human Rights Project Work.
	6 March—Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA)—(to discuss the ROSPA's current work).
	6 March—TrustMark—(to discuss the promotion of the TrustMark consumer work).
	7 March—China Britain Business Council—(an introductory meeting).
	 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Lord Triesman of Tottenham)
	22 March—Members of the National Executive Committee—(to discuss Columbia).

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) services and  (b) products her Department has procured from Remploy in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no record of procuring services or products from Remploy in the last 12 months.

Deportation

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether HM High Commission in Kingston has  (a) served a notice of refusal against revocation of a deportation order on Mr. E.A., husband of Mrs. J.A. of Aylesbury (reference A505053), and  (b) supplied Mr. E.A. with information about his rights of appeal.

Kim Howells: Our high commission in Kingston has not served a refusal notice or any associated appeal papers to Mr. E.A. against the revocation of his deportation order; the high commission has not yet received the refusal notice from the Home Office Border and Immigration Agency.

Deportation

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether HM High Commission in Kingston has received from the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate the notices of refusal and associated papers concerning the application for revocation of a deportation order by Mr. E.A., husband of Mrs. J.A. of Aylesbury (reference A505053).

Kim Howells: Our high commission in Kingston has not received the refusal notice or any associated papers from the Home Office Border and Immigration Agency concerning the application for revocation of a deportation order by Mr. E.A. UKvisas has contacted the Border and Immigration Agency to request a new copy of the refusal notice for the high commission to serve to Mr. E.A. as soon as possible.

Diplomatic Relations

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which nations have been in breach of the Vienna Convention in their dealings with UK citizens since 1 May 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, states are under an obligation, when requested to do so by a foreign national arrested or detained, to notify their consular representatives and that consular representatives shall be free to communicate with nationals of the sending state and to have access to them.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not keep a central record of those states which may have breached this obligation. But we take very seriously any complaint that signatories to the Convention have not fulfilled this obligation, and we will continue to make representations with host Governments on a case by case basis. We also work with host Governments to promote greater awareness of their obligation with regard to British nationals among their law enforcement authorities, for example poster campaigns where posters are displayed in local police stations.

East Timor: Politics and Government

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to assist in ensuring that parliamentary elections in East Timor are free and fair.

Ian McCartney: The UK is working through the UN Security Council to ensure that the East Timorese parliamentary elections are held in a free and fair manner. We supported the Security Council statement which was issued following the successful presidential elections, calling upon all parties in East Timor to ensure that the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for 30 June take place in a free, fair and peaceful environment.
	The EU has deployed an Election Observer Mission, including one British national, to East Timor for a period of five weeks, to observe and report on the forthcoming elections.
	In addition an official from our embassy in Jakarta will visit East Timor shortly to stress the importance of ensuring that the elections are free and fair.

East Timor: Politics and Government

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings the British ambassador in Jakarta has had with  (a) the UN Mission in East Timor and  (b) the East Timorese Government to discuss the conduct of the parliamentary elections.

Ian McCartney: Our ambassador in Jakarta has not had any meetings with the UN Mission to East Timor (UNMIT) or the East Timorese Government specifically to discuss the conduct of the forthcoming parliamentary elections in East Timor. An official from our embassy in Jakarta will visit Dili shortly and plans to raise this issue with UNMIT and the East Timorese Government, and highlight the importance of ensuring the elections are conducted in a fair and peaceful manner.
	We welcome the fact that all the 16 competing parties have signed both an electoral Code of Conduct and a Political Party Accord, committing themselves to due process in the elections and democratic principles of governance after them. We continue to work through the UN, and with EU partners, to support the democratic process in East Timor.

European Constitution Treaty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her  (a) Polish and  (b) Czech counterparts on the EU Constitution.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have frequent contact will all our EU counterparts, including Polish and Czech Foreign Ministers. Discussions cover a wider range of issues, including the way forward on EU institutional reform.

G8

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will  (a) place in the Library copies of all documents circulated by the United Kingdom at the G8 Heads of Government meeting in Heiligendamm,  (b) publish those documents on the appropriate departmental website and  (c) give the URL of each document so published.

Ian McCartney: The German G8 Presidency circulated all documents at the G8 Heads of Government meeting in Heiligendamm. Copies of all final summit communiqués have been placed in the Library of the House. Further copies can be found at:
	http://www.g-8.de/Webs/G8/EN/G8Summit/SummitDocuments/summit-documents.html.

India: Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has held with representatives of the Indian Government on the situation in Burma.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with the Indian Government about Burma.
	We raise Burma at official level with the Government of India as part of our regular dialogue with the Indians on regional security. We encourage India to use their contacts with the regime to make strong messages on the need to restore democracy and respect human rights.
	Most recently, I raised Burma with the Indian Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi on 27 November 2006.

Saudi Arabia: Detainees

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens were held at the Mabatha Interrogation Centre in Saudi Arabia in each year since 1990; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Our embassy in Riyadh is unaware of a specific place called the Mabatha Interrogation Centre, but is aware that UK citizens have been detained by the Mubahith, the General Investigations Department of the Ministry of Interior, which has offices across Saudi Arabia. Although consular records are only retained for three years, we are aware of at least nine cases since 2001.

Saudi Arabia: Diplomatic Relations

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since 1995 the Saudi Government has refused to grant UK consular access to UK citizens held in custody in Saudi Arabia; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Consular records are only held for a period of three years. Although we are aware of delays in getting consular access to detained British nationals during this period, to our knowledge the Saudi Arabian Government has never refused access.

Saudi Arabia: Human Rights

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since 1 May 1997 the UK Government has made representations to the Government of Saudi Arabia about human rights abuses; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We regularly discuss our concerns about human rights with the Saudi authorities at all levels. Human rights are also raised on our behalf by the European Union, which has decided to keep the details of these discussions confidential.

Saudi Arabia: Terrorism

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the funding which has been accrued by the Al Qaeda terrorist network from charitable bodies in Saudi Arabia; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Preventing the misuse of charitable organisations for the financing of terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, is an important part of the international counter-terrorism effort.
	Our international counter-terrorism partners, including Saudi Arabia, are concerned that terrorists are able to send and receive funds, often through abuses of the charitable sector, from sources in many countries. A number of Saudi Arabian based charities are currently designated on the UN Consolidated List established and maintained by the 1267 Committee with respect to Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and other individuals, groups, and entities associated with them.
	The Saudi Arabian authorities are committed to tackling the threat from terrorism and we work closely with them on all aspects of the counter-terrorism agenda.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently funding a £1.2 million International Programme run by the UK Charity Commission that works to reduce the risk of misuse of the charitable sector for terrorist financing. They provide technical assistance and capacity building for the regulatory systems in a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia: Terrorism

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether investigations by the UK Government and their agencies have shown that any terrorist activities since 11 September 2001 have been funded by groups based in Saudi Arabia; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government are concerned that terrorists are able to send and receive funds from sources in many countries. As a matter of course, we do not comment in detail on ongoing counter-terrorism investigations.
	The authorities in Saudi Arabia have introduced and are developing a programme to take action to tackle terrorist financing. They have introduced tighter banking regulations and are seeking to ensure that donations from charitable organisations in the Kingdom are directed in accordance with international requirements. Saudi Arabia is one of the UK's key partners in counter- terrorism and we enjoy a high level of co-operation across the spectrum, including countering terrorist financing.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Mr. Love) on 5 June,  Official Report, column 460W.
	The disgraceful abduction and murder of two Red Cross volunteers, whose bodies were discovered on 2 June, and the constant reports of disappearances in Colombo and Jaffna suggest a continuing deterioration in the situation. There is no justification for terrorism or the abuse of human rights no matter which side is responsible for them.

Thailand: Politics and Government

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the  (a) likely date for a general election in Thailand and  (b) dissolution of Thai Rak Thai political party.

Ian McCartney: A referendum on the new constitution is due to be held on 19 August. The general election is due to take place on 23 December.
	On 30 May the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party was guilty of violating the Political Party Act. As a consequence, the tribunal dissolved the TRT and revoked the political rights of all their executive members at the time of the 2 April 2006 general election for five years. The only right they retained is the right to be an ordinary member of a political party.

Uganda: Corruption

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the theft in Uganda of $1.6 million from Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.

Ian McCartney: On 22 May, arrest warrants were issued for three former Health Ministers (Jim Muhwesi, Mike Mukula and Alex Kamugisha) and a former State House official (Alice Kaboyo) for the misappropriation of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation funds. This followed an investigation carried out by the Ugandan Inspector General of Government. The accused have been charged with various offences including abuse of office, theft, and forgery, and their trial is due to commence on 16 July. I cannot comment further as the matter is  sub judice.
	Corruption remains a serious problem in Uganda and we welcome all steps taken by the Ugandan authorities to investigate thoroughly corruption allegations and to seek prosecutions where the evidence allows. Our High Commissioner in Kampala most recently discussed the need for action against corruption with President Museveni on 10 May.

Vietnam: Human Rights

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Government of Vietnam for assurances that it will not enforce the instructions to local authorities to compel Protestants in the northern highlands to recant their religious beliefs.

Ian McCartney: We, with our EU partners, regularly discuss human rights issues, including religious freedom, with the Vietnamese Government. The biannual EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue, which was established in 2003, is the main forum for raising our concerns. The most recent dialogue was held on 20 December 2006. Freedom of religion, restrictions on religious organisations and the situation of ethnic minority Protestant groups were among the issues raised by the EU. The next EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue is scheduled to take place on 28 June.
	We are aware of reports of the continued harassment of some religious groups in some areas. We have urged the Vietnamese authorities to increase awareness and capacity among local authorities and to guarantee the right of all religious groups to practise their faith freely in the community through full implementation of the appropriate legislation and to adhere to its international human rights obligations. Regulations in force since 2004 establish criteria for the recognition of hitherto non-sanctioned religious groups. We remain concerned that progress in registering congregations in the northern uplands in particular remains slow.
	On 18 May, senior officials from our Embassy in Hanoi, and several other EU missions, raised our specific concerns with the Vietnamese Government authority responsible for registering religious organisations. Additionally, I raised human rights issues at a recent bilateral with Vietnamese Vice Minister Le Cung Phung during the EU/Association of South East Asian Nations Foreign Ministers Meeting on 14 and 15 March.

Western European Union

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to ensure that UK contributions to the Western European Union Parliamentary Assembly are paid when due.

Geoff Hoon: UK contributions to the Western European Union (WEU) are paid twice yearly on request from the WEU. Our latest payment was delayed because there is no record of the original WEU request being received. To help avoid delayed payments in the future, we have asked the WEU to establish a system for monitoring the delivery of payment requests.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma: Consultants

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what expenses are paid to consultants working for his Department in Burma in addition to their basic pay.

Gareth Thomas: Expenses paid to consultants are to reimburse reasonable expenditure necessary for undertaking the assignment—for example, travel and subsistence costs. These are specified in the contract agreed in advance with each consultant.

Burma: Corruption

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what monitoring and auditing of UN Development Programme projects in Burma funded by his Department takes place to counter corruption and to ensure that funds do not end up in the hands of the regime.

Gareth Thomas: All UN Development Programme (UNDP) work in Burma is carried out in compliance with guidelines established by its Executive Board. These stipulate that all UNDP assistance to Burma should be clearly targeted towards programmes having grass-roots-level impact in a sustainable manner, particularly in the areas of primary health care, the environment, HIV/AIDS, training and education and food security.
	In order to deliver this mandate, UNDP has established the Human Development Initiative (HDI), funded by DFID and other donors, with the objective of meeting basic needs and alleviating poverty in some of the poorest areas of Burma. In accordance with the Executive Board restrictions, UNDP does not transfer funds to the Burmese authorities. However, like other international organisations operating in Burma, UNDP has been required to purchase items such as fuel and telecommunications services and pay rent for its premises, and the authorities remain the sole provider of such services.
	UNDP has a network of approximately 1,500 national staff based in the 57 townships in which the HDI operates in Burma. These staff—at the state/division level, township level and community level—undertake extensive routine process monitoring for all project activities. They are involved in all aspects of implementation, verification of accounts and expenditures, review of problems, and provision of technical support to ensure effective implementation. Their monitoring is supplemented by national programme managers, which in turn is overseen by UNDP international staff who also regularly visit programme sites. No difficulty has been encountered in such monitoring on account of any Government control or restrictions. National staff can travel freely; they do not have to ask for travel permission and are not accompanied by counterpart or local officials in the performance of their project work. Internationals do have to ask for permission but there has been no case when permission has been denied. Furthermore, the formulation of the Operating Guidelines by the Government (February 2006) has not had any significant impact on UNDP's ability to engage effectively in the field, or to abide by its Executive Board mandate, adhering to humanitarian principles.
	On the basis of their programme monitoring, UNDP provides DFID with periodic written progress reports on HDI activities. This includes substantive information on activities, achievements, challenges/issues and recommendations as required, as well as budgetary information. A detailed financial report accounting for the previous tranche of support from DFID is necessary before the next tranche is provided to UNDP. Donors themselves carry out an annual joint assessment mission to review the HDI programme. Further ad hoc fieldtrips are made by donors to project sites—in DFID's case, about four times a year.
	Finally, in order to ensure compliance with the Executive Board mandate, independent assessments of the HDI are carried out regularly and reported to the Executive Board. The assessment teams include a team of external consultants who undertake 3-4 week field trips to prepare their report. The report for the period May 2006 to April 2007 is now being finalised and will be presented to the Executive Board in September 2007. The initial findings conclude that the HDI programme is in full compliance with the Executive Board mandate and addresses the needs of the poor and vulnerable in rural areas of Burma with humanitarian assistance. The 2006 Assessment—covering the period 2005-06—also echoes the conclusion of previous reports, namely, that the HDI programme effectively provides humanitarian support on a large scale and that
	"all projects operate independently of the Government and target the village-level groups and needs described in the [EB] mandate."
	The full report can be found on the Executive Board website at:
	www.undp.org/execbrd/adv2006-second.htm

Burma: International Assistance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many grants have been given to the UN Development Programme for projects in Burma in the last four years; for what purposes; and to what value.

Gareth Thomas: In the last four years, DFID has funded the following projects implemented by the UN Development Programme in Burma:
	£10 million over four years (2003 to 2007) support to the Fund for HIV/AIDS in Myanmar—which was managed by UN Development Programme—to enhance capacity for the prevention and care of people living with HIV/AIDS.
	£4 million over four years (2005 to 2009) to the UN Development Programme's Human Development Initiative to strengthen the capacity of poor communities to address their basic needs, particularly those of the poor and disadvantaged.
	£110,000 (2004) and £67,000 (2006) to part-fund a liaison officer within the UN Development Programme to improve coordination and effectiveness of development agencies providing assistance to Burma.

Burma: Overseas Aid

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects to announce the annual budget from his Department for Burma for 2008-09.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's 2008-09 budget is subject to the conclusions of the Comprehensive Spending Review, which is expected to be announced in October 2007. Subsequent individual country programme budgets are expected to be announced in January 2008.

Colombia: Overseas Aid

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to make aid available to Colombia following recent flooding in Antioquia province.

Gareth Thomas: We have been monitoring the flooding in Colombia. The Colombian authorities have announced that they are providing relief and have not requested international assistance. There has been no international appeal for help by the international agencies. Should any such request be made we will consider a response.

Departments: Advertising

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much revenue his Department received from advertisements on its  (a) public information leaflets and  (b) public websites in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The only publication that DFID has received advertising revenue from is the free quarterly magazine "Developments". Due to changes in accounting practices, figures are only available from 2003 onwards. To establish figures from 1997 onwards would incur disproportionate cost. "Developments" magazine only accepts advertising from educational or training institutions. The figures are given in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003 19,787.00 
			 2004 30,455.66 
			 2005 29,025.80 
			 2006 42,524.20 
		
	
	Figures are not yet available for 2007.
	DFID has never run any adverts on its corporate website.

Developing Countries: Construction

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding and resources the UK has pledged to the construction sector transparency initiative.

Gareth Thomas: Working with partners internationally and in a number of developing countries, DFID has led the development of the construction sector transparency initiative (CoST).
	Corruption and inefficiency caused by corruption wastes billions of dollars of public money and leads to poor quality schools, hospitals and roads which do not meet people's needs.
	CoST aims to make sure people get good quality, sustainable infrastructure at a reasonable price from the money which Government spend on their behalf. The starting point will be provision of clear information which allows the public to compare original contract commitments about price and quality of planned infrastructure with the actual results—allowing them to ask the right questions about any wastage or poor, or non-existent, work.
	Working with stakeholders in Vietnam, Ghana and Tanzania, as well as international partners (European Commission, World Bank, and others), industry and international civil society, we now have an outline design ready to be tested through country pilots.
	CoST builds on the success of the extractive industries transparency initiative (EITI) by applying principles of transparency and accountability to construction procurement.
	Application of EITI principles to other sectors was supported by G8 countries at the recent Heiligendamm summit, and their specific application to the construction sector was a commitment in the 2006 International Development White Paper.
	DFID has committed £0.5 million this year to support the CoST design and pilots. As pilots progress we will assess the wider resources needed and DFID will work with other donors and development partners to secure the necessary resources to support CoST.
	A major meeting for CoST partners will be held on 20 June, and be addressed by the Secretary of State. An official launch will take place in October, with the launch of pilots in around three countries to develop a model approach to increased transparency in construction procurement.

Developing Countries: Education

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many 10-year agreements under the Education for All initiative announced in April 2006 have been signed with developing countries since then; how much of the $15 billion fund earmarked has been delivered; and how many extra pupils are in education full-time in those countries.

Gareth Thomas: The authoritative source of global education data is the Education for All Global Monitoring Report. The 2007 report was published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in November 2006. It includes statistics by country of primary aged children enrolled at school up to the year 2004. This is the most recent source of global data available. Statistics up to the year 2005 will be available in the 2008 report which is due to be published by December 2007. Therefore, it is too soon to report on the additional numbers of children receiving an education in particular countries since the UK's education initiative launched in April 2006.
	The UK education initiative involves the provision of long-term predictable support to education through a commitment of £8.5 billion over a 10-year period from April 2006. The amount of bilateral aid disbursed in support of education in developing countries for the financial year 2006-07 will be reported in DFID's Statistics on International Development to be published in October 2007. DFID's total spend on education also includes funds disbursed via multilateral organisations.
	In launching the UK education initiative, we asked governments to prepare ambitious 10-year education sector plans to which donors should contribute funding support. In Africa, 25 countries are involved. Of these, to date, 17 have produced their plans. The Education for All Fast Tract Initiative (FTI), supported by 15 donors, is also supporting the development of education sector plans. The FTI's Education Programme Development Fund provides technical assistance to help with the preparation of plans and the Catalytic Fund for the implementation of endorsed plans. 31 countries have obtained FTI endorsement since its inception in 2002 and a further 30 countries are working towards endorsement in 2007 and 2008. The UK is contributing some £150 million through the FTI.
	Since April 2006, the UK has announced 10-year agreements to support education plans in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania totalling £646 million. The UK has also made recent commitments to support education plans in Burundi, DRC, India, Nepal, Sierra Leone and Somalia.

Developing Countries: Medical Treatments

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's proposals on a Medicines Transparency Alliance.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is working with a wide range of partners, including the World Health Organisation, developing country Governments, pharmaceutical companies and non-governmental organisation on the development of the Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA).
	MeTA seeks to increase transparency over vital information on the price, quality and availability of essential medicines in developing countries so as to help tackle high prices, challenge corruption and address inefficiency. One third of the world's population lacks access to essential medicines. The prices patients pay are often much higher than the price agreed at procurement, with cumulative mark-ups of 300 per cent. not being uncommon as medicines move from procurement through storage, supply, distribution and ultimately to health centres and pharmacies. In addition, up to a third of medicines on the market in developing countries are fake.
	Procurement and supply systems are generally opaque, meaning excessive price mark-ups, corruption and inefficiency can go unchallenged. Most people have little idea about what medicines should cost, or what a good-quality medicine looks like.
	MeTA seeks to change this by securing high-level political commitment to increased transparency and accountability over medicines procurement and supply in countries that choose to take part, and by bringing the right people around the table—Government Departments, civil society organisations, companies and others—to agree ways of disclosing information on the price, the quality and the availability of essential medicines into the public arena, with the aim of ultimately reducing the cost, improving the quality and increasing the availability of medicines.
	MeTA builds on the success of the extractive industries transparency initiative (EITI) by applying principles of transparency and accountability to medicines procurement and supply. Application of EITI principles to other sectors was supported by G8 countries at the recent Heiligendamm summit, and their specific application to the health sector was a commitment in the 2006 International Development White Paper.
	A major stakeholder meeting for MeTA was held on 18 April, attended by all relevant groups and addressed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development. An official launch will take place in the summer, with the launch of pilots in around five countries to develop a model approach to increased transparency and accountability in medicines procurement and supply.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Defence Equipment: Exports

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether export licences for military equipment are required by a  (a) private individual and  (b) museum or collection for the export of historic former military aircraft.

Malcolm Wicks: The requirement for an export licence is determined by the nature of the goods being exported, not the exporting entity. In general, military equipment, including historic former military aircraft, is highly likely to require an export licence but a definitive decision can only be given where detailed information is made available by the exporting entity in order to allow for a full assessment against the "UK Military List".

Defence Equipment: Exports

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export licences for arms and other military equipment were applied for in the last three years for which figures are available; and how many applications were refused.

Malcolm Wicks: For the last three years for which figures are available, the Government received 5,385 (2004), 5,378 (2005) and 6,003 (2006) applications for Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs), 486 (2004), 449 (2005) and 364 (2006) applications for Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs); for arms and other military equipment. In addition, there were 703 (2004), 434 (2005) and 354 (2006) registrations for Open General Export Licences (OGELs) for dual-use and military listed items.
	The Government publishes detailed information on its export licensing decisions, including the total number of licences refused, in its Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls. The Government's Annual Reports are available from the Libraries of the House and the DTI Export Control Organisation website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/index.html

Departments: Advertising

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much revenue his Department received from advertisements on his Department's  (a) public information leaflets and  (b) public websites in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: These records are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Carbon Emissions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what methodology is used by his Department to account for its carbon emissions.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department uses the guidelines for "Company Reporting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions" produced by DEFRA. These guidelines provide a set formula for calculation of carbon emissions from a variety of activities listed within the guidelines schedule.
	To demonstrate the commitment and achievement in carbon reduction, up to year end March 2006, the Department and its executive agencies have made a 17 per cent. reduction since the base year 1999-2000, as published by BRE.

Dietary Supplements: EC Law

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his estimate is of the value of the specialist natural health product  (a) manufacturing and  (b) retailing sectors; what recent discussions he has had with representatives of these sectors on the regulatory and economic impact of European regulations on food supplements and associated issues; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recently carried out an informal consultation on an initial regulatory impact assessment that sets out the current position in the United Kingdom with respect to food supplements and seeks information from stakeholders to measure the potential impact in advance of future European Commission proposals for setting daily dosage levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements. The information will be used to inform the draft regulatory impact assessment, which will then be subject to a formal consultation process.
	Based on the information provided by 25 May 2007, the FSA has not concluded on an estimate of the value of the natural health product sectors to date. I met with the specialist manufacturing and health food retail sectors in March 2007, to discuss the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals under Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive and associated issues.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many civic amenity sites there are in England and Wales; and how many such sites will have facilities to collect waste electrical and electronic equipment under the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Malcolm Wicks: There are 807 civic amenity sites in England and Wales all of which will have facilities to collect waste electrical and electronic equipment. How much they collect will vary according to the size of the site.

Energy Technologies Institute: Wales

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 336W, on Energy Technologies Institute: Wales, in what ways the Welsh Energy Research Centre fell short against the selection criteria; and whether he expects there to be opportunities for the Welsh Energy Research Centre to collaborate with the Energy Technologies Institute in the future.

Malcolm Wicks: The submissions to host the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) Director were considered in confidence by a group of representatives of the industrial and public sector funding partners. The group has already indicated that it will provide feed-back to those organisations which made a submission, if they so request.
	There will be opportunities for energy research organisations to engage in the research activities of the ETI as the technical priorities begin to emerge over the course of the year.

Exhaust Emissions: Aviation

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department will commission research and development into minimising  (a) carbon dioxide emissions and  (b) general environmental impacts caused by commercial aircraft engines.

Margaret Hodge: The DTI is currently funding a number of research programmes to assess the environmental effect of aviation emissions and to explore developments in technology to reduce their harmful effects. In particular, the OMEGA project being led by Manchester Metropolitan University and supported with a £5 million HEFCE grant, covers, among other things, characterising aviation emissions (Particulate Matter, NOx, CO2), airframe and engine design for low carbon emissions and alternative fuels and bio-fuels. Another recent project with Airbus and academic partners has developed trade-off modelling for aircraft design and climate impact.
	The Government are also working closely with industry to ensure that the UK's aerospace industry responds to environmental concerns. The most recent project, known as the "Environmentally Friendly Engine" is supported with funding of £95 million of which £30 million is being provided by DTI. This research will develop specific technologies to improve engine efficiency and thereby minimise CO2 emissions from future aircraft.
	The DTI will continue to consider the need for additional research to address the environmental impact of aviation and to ensure the competitiveness of UK aerospace companies and their European partners.

India: Intellectual Property

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress he has made on the creation and development of an intellectual property rights agreement between the UK and India; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Joint Statement of Intent was signed in June 2006. Under the JETCO agreement between India and the UK, we are currently developing a bilateral action plan with the Indian IPR authorities in order to put in place a technical assistance programme for Indian government officials dealing with IP.

Iran: Export Credit Guarantees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1816W, on Iran: Export Credits Guarantee, in what way the Export Credits Guarantee Department has restricted the availability of cover for Iran; for what reasons; and for how long.

Malcolm Wicks: ECGD undertook a review of its cover policy for Iran in December 2005. Taking account of the prevailing risk outlook, cover capacity was reduced in order to contain growth in exposure. Cover is decided on a case-by-case basis and priority is given to UK goods and services. More recently, an arrangement has been made whereby Ministers will be consulted before cover is committed for any particular transaction.

Iran: Export Credit Guarantees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1816W, on Iran: Export Credits Guarantee, what steps are being taken to seek clarification of the applicability of the UN Security Council Resolution 1747 to the provision of export credits to Iran.

Malcolm Wicks: Representatives of HM Government have been consulting European Union member states in the light of the Council Common Position (2007/246/CFSP) dated 23 April to clarify the applicability of UN Security Resolution 1747 to the provision of export credits to Iran.

Iran: Export Credit Guarantees

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1816W, on Iran: Export Credits Guarantee, how many applications for export credits to Iran were made in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: ECGD has received 153 applications for export credits to Iran in the last five years. The following table details how many applications were received in each of the financial years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of applications 
			 2002-03 26 
			 2003-04 50 
			 2004-05 33 
			 2005-06 24 
			 2006-07 20 
			 Total 153

Nuclear Power: International Cooperation

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with the United States Administration on participation by the UK in the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.

Malcolm Wicks: There have been no recent discussions between UK Ministers and the US Administration on UK participation in Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP).

Radioactive Wastes: Waste Management

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish a timetable for the removal from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of responsibility for the setting of packaging standards for radioactive waste.

Malcolm Wicks: Currently, advice is provided to nuclear operators on packaging of radioactive waste via a system known as the "Letter of Compliance" system. This is administered by the Radioactive Waste Management Division of the NDA (RWMD). This packaging advice is used by operators in developing safety cases which must be approved by the independent safety regulators. The work of the RWMD in administering the Letter of Compliance system is also overseen by the independent regulators.
	In due course we anticipate that the future operator of a geological waste disposal facility will take on the responsibility for setting and administering formal acceptance criteria for all waste to be disposed of in the facility. This will continue to be done under the scrutiny of the independent statutory regulators.

Working Hours

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to improve the balance of working and non-working hours for people in full-time employment.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In April we extended the right to request flexible working to carers of adults. Over six million employees are now eligible to work flexibly. Latest data (summer 2006) show that 80 per cent. of all requests are agreed and that 87 per cent. of all employees are satisfied with their current working pattern.
	Last week we laid regulations before the House to increase the holiday entitlement to give time off for bank holidays. These regulations will benefit six million workers who currently get less than 28 days' holiday a year, pro rata for part-time staff.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2007, to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth),  Official Report, column 1132W, on Air Passenger Duty, if he will publish the econometric analysis used to assess the impact of changes in air passenger duty rates on passenger and flight numbers.

John Healey: The HMRC econometric analysis suggests that the annual suppression of air passengers as a result of the air passenger duty decision announced at pre-Budget report will be around 5 million out of a total 140 million passengers by 2010-11. Translating this figure into flights and emissions reductions suggests that the emissions saving as a result of the decision will be in the range of 0.2-0.5 million tonnes of carbon (MtC) per year. Taking into account the effect of the other, non-carbon dioxide emissions of aviation suggests that there will be an annual climate change impact equivalent to saving 0.75 million tonnes of carbon by 2010-11 from the change to air passenger duty.

Child Benefit: Armed Forces

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which partner child benefit is payable in circumstances where a member of the armed forces and his wife are posted overseas while in receipt of child benefit.

Stephen Timms: Child benefit continues to be payable to the same member of the couple who was receiving payment prior to the posting.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what powers are available to representatives of the Valuation Office Agency in conducting investigation for valuation purposes.

Dawn Primarolo: Valuation Officers and Listing Officers of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and those members of their staff authorised by them, have powers, under Section 26 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, and powers to request the supply of information about property under Section 27 of the same Act.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 196W, on departmental expenditure, what payments have been made by his Department to  (a) Opinion Leader Research and  (b) other opinion research companies since December 2006.

John Healey: In December 2006, the Economic Secretary commissioned Brian Pomeroy, chairman of the Financial Inclusion Taskforce, to undertake a review of commercially run hamper schemes and savings clubs to consider whether the savings needs of consumers of such products might be better met by mainstream financial providers. As part of the review, HM Treasury commissioned Opinion Leader to carry out two half-day workshops with consumers of these types of products to gain first hand evidence to support the review at a cost of £50,955 including VAT. A response to  (b) could be provided only at disproportionate cost as the nature of a supplier's business is not recorded in the Treasury's accounting system and may not be self evident from the supplier's name.

Departments: Advertising

David Heath: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue his Department received from advertisements on his Department's  (a) public information leaflets and  (b) public websites in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury has not received any advertising revenue from its public information leaflets or public websites in the last five years. Information on advertising revenue, if any, in the earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to a change in accounting system in 2002-03.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by HM Revenue and Customs on flights within England in 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC promotes sustainable transport policies and the use of video conferencing as transport alternatives.
	However, where travel is essential, the Department encourages staff to use the most cost-effective and efficient means of travel.
	Total expenditure on flights during 2005 by HMRC was £860,810.

Departments: Carbon Emissions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methodology is used by his Department to account for its carbon emissions.

John Healey: The Treasury calculates carbon emissions by using carbon emission conversion factors provided by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). This can be can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/envrp/gas/envrpgas-annexes.pdf

Departments: Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) purpose and  (b) value was of each payment made by his Department to Professor Iain Maclean of Oxford university since 1997.

John Healey: The Treasury has made no payments to Professor MacLean. Professor MacLean gave an unpaid seminar on regional issues for which he was reimbursed £51.20 for Travel expenses in February 2006.

Departments: Credit Cards

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department have corporate charge cards.

John Healey: HM Treasury does not generally issue staff with corporate charge cards (e.g. American Express cards). However, 201 staff—generally frequent travellers—are currently issued with corporate credit cards to pay for expenses, generally for transport and accommodation. They are required to submit travel expense claims on their return and produce receipts for all transactions.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The Treasury's spending on external legal advice in 2006-07 was £698,000. For the earlier years, I refer to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies) on 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1738W.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which recruitment agencies  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have employed to provide services since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Department  Agencies 
			 HMT Accountancy Additions, Badenoch and Clark, Brook Street, Campion Willcocks and Associates Ltd., Hudson Global Resources Ltd., Huntress Search Ltd., Josephine Sammons Ltd., Macdonald and Company, Methods Consulting Ltd., Michael Page International, Office Angels 
			 DMO Veredus, BMI, Hays City Response Advertising International Ltd., ComputAppoint, Practicus, Hays Accountancy and Finance, Computer People, Morgan Hunt, Orgtel Communications, The Whitehall and Industry Group, Mission Testing Europe Ltd., Barclay Simpson Associates Ltd., Odgers Ray and Berndtson, Hudson Shribman, KPMG LLP, RDF Resources Ltd., Marks Sattin 
			 OGC Adecco UK Ltd., élan Computing Ltd., Reed Personnel Services, Computer People Ltd., Spring Technology Staffing Solutions

Departments: Sign Language

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of providing British Sign Language (BSL) videos on his departmental website for the benefit of those whose first language is BSL.

John Healey: The departmental website is compliant with accessibility guidelines set out the Cabinet Office's Guidelines for government websites:
	http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/resources/handbook/html/htmlindex.asp
	and provides transcripts for any audio content.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter of 2 May 2007 from the hon. Member for North-East Milton Keynes on MKSnap, a charity based in Milton Keynes.

Dawn Primarolo: Receipt of the correspondence referred to could not be traced. A copy has been supplied by the hon. Member and a reply will be sent shortly.

Pension Funds

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value is of assets held in  (a) self-administered private sector occupational defined benefit schemes,  (b) self-administered private sector occupational defined contribution schemes,  (c) self-administered public sector defined benefit schemes,  (d) insured occupational defined benefit schemes,  (e) insured occupational defined contribution schemes,  (f) group personal pensions,  (g) group stakeholder pensions,  (h) individual personal pensions and  (i) individual stakeholder pensions.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the total value of assets held in each category of pension scheme is not available. The market value of self-administered pension funds in total is collected by ONS as part of the annual balance sheet survey to self-administered pension funds and published as part of the Business Monitor Investment by insurance companies, pension funds and trusts on the National Statistics website. The market value is the difference between their asset holdings and short-term liabilities such as borrowing and other creditors. The latest published figure is £970 billion for end 2005.
	The value of other private pension funds is included in aggregates collected by ONS in the annual balance sheet survey to long-term insurance companies. However, the aggregates cover all long-term business, including life assurance, pensions and other business, written by the companies. A split of the insurance companies' funds between pensions and other business is not available. Consultation with insurance companies has indicated that this split would be too difficult for them to produce on a company basis and that the respondents would not be confident of any data provided on this basis.

Population

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the population in England live in  (a) London boroughs,  (b) two-tier areas,  (c) unitary areas and  (d) metropolitan areas.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 18 June 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question regarding the proportion of the population in England living in (a) London boroughs, (b) two-tier areas, (c) unitary areas and (d) metropolitan areas. I am replying in her absence. (142374).
	Table 1 shows these data for mid-2005. Mid-2006 population estimates will be published on 22 August 2007. The City of London has been included in the London Boroughs category and the Isles of Scilly have been included in the Unitary Areas category.
	ONS is making improvements in August 2007 to the methods used to distribute international migration figures to local areas as part of its "Improving Migration and Population Statistics" work programme. The figures quoted will therefore be subject to revision.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of mid-2005 Population in England by type of area 
			  Area  Percentage of population 
			 London boroughs 15 
			 Two tier areas 47 
			 Unitary areas 17 
			 Metropolitan areas 22 
			  Note: Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number, and may not sum to 100 due to rounding.  Source:  Office for National Statistics

Registration: Databases

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the estimated total expenditure  (a) by the Office for National Statistics and  (b) from local authority contributions was on the new computer database for registry offices;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the causes of the IT problems with the local authority registry offices' new RON computer database.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 June 2007:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions concerning what assessment has been of the causes of the IT problems with the local authority registry offices' new RON computer database and what the estimated total expenditure by the Office for National Statistics and from local authority contributions was on the new computer database for registry offices. (142370, 142372)
	A team of experts has been looking at the system and have identified a proposed resolution plan of activities. A full independent review is to be undertaken in due course.
	The total cost of the new system (known as "RON") was estimated as just over £6m, of which some £3.5million is for the software, £2.5 million is for IT infrastructure. Local Authorities have not directly contributed to its development.

Smuggling: Drugs

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) arrests were made and  (b) convictions were secured by HM Revenue and Customs for (i) drugs trafficking and (ii) associated criminal finance in each year since 1998, broken down by offence.

John Healey: This information is not available in the format requested.

Tree Preservation Orders

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether tree protection orders may be placed on a tree or series of trees prior to a planning application that would result in the trees being removed or cut down.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	A tree preservation order (TPO) may be made to safeguard trees on a potential development site in the interests of amenity. This ensures that the effect of any proposed development on trees would be properly considered by the local planning authority alongside other material considerations. If full planning permission is subsequently granted, the TPO would not prevent any felling or pruning needed to implement the approved development.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2007,  Official Report, column 2134W, on the Valuation Office Agency, what the purpose was of the visits to  (a) America,  (b) Malaysia,  (c) Japan,  (d) Thailand,  (e) Spain,  (f) France,  (g) China and  (h) Belgium.

Dawn Primarolo: All overseas travel by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service code. Overseas travel is typically undertaken in order to share international expertise in the field of property valuation. Detailed information on each visit is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Valuation Office Agency: Assets

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which datasets maintained by the Valuation Office Agency are held on the Government's Information Asset Register.

Dawn Primarolo: None.

VAT: Registration

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of complete and accurate VAT registration applications were processed within 21 days of receipt in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 14 June 2007
	HM Revenue and Customs currently record processing time for all applications and no longer distinguish between those that are either complete or incomplete. The latest available monthly figures are as follows:
	
		
			  Month  Percentage of applications processed within 21 days of receip t 
			  2006  
			 April 60 
			 May 56 
			 June 57 
			 July 57 
			 August 59 
			 September 71 
			 October 88 
			 November 85 
			 December 79 
			  2007  
			 January 58 
			 February 63 
			 March 60

VAT: Registration

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints HM Revenue and Customs received on the time taken to process VAT registrations in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 14 June 2007
	HMRC registers over 280,000 new businesses every year. Over the past 12 months less than 1 per cent. of these businesses have complained about registration delays.
	The recent increase in the number of complaints is the result of the introduction of more rigorous pre-registration checks designed to combat MTIC fraud. HMRC are working to reduce the number of registration delays.
	The number of complaints received about registration delays is as follows:
	
		
			  Month  Number of complaints 
			  2006  
			 June 109 
			 July 96 
			 August 92 
			 September 65 
			 October 78 
			 November 65 
			 December 54 
			  2007  
			 January 69 
			 February 85 
			 March 100 
			 April 131 
			 May 133

VAT: Repayments

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of HM Revenue and Customs' performance in repaying VAT to claimants where claims are properly claimed and payments are properly payable;
	(2)  what the percentage of cases is in which the extended verification process for VAT repayments have been determined by HM Revenue and Customs to be  (a) connected with missing trader intra community fraud and  (b) otherwise incorrectly claimed or improperly paid.

John Healey: The vast majority of VAT repayment claims are paid promptly. However, in response to the rapid increase in missing trader intra-community fraud activity in late 2005 and early 2006, HM Revenue and Customs are actively checking a greater number of suspect claims. HMRC have deployed an additional 700 staff in 2006-07 to ensure that verification of these claims can be carried out as effectively and efficiently as possible.
	The latest data indicates that over 95 per cent. of traders, whose returns are subject to the current verification programme, have so far been found to be participating in, or profiting from, MTIC fraud, or there is sufficient suspicion to warrant further investigation. Only 1 per cent. of the VAT withheld under this programme has been found to be properly payable. To date, the courts have found that HMRC's actions have been proportionate and reasonable.
	HMRC does not hold centralised information relating to " (b) otherwise incorrectly claimed or improperly paid". VAT incorrectly claimed or improperly paid can result from a diverse number of factors, including other fraud, avoidance or error and gathering such data would incur disproportionate costs.

Welfare Tax Credits: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in West Lancashire constituency received tax credits in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: New tax credits were introduced in April 2003, and are currently in their 5(th) year of operation.
	Statistics of finalised annual tax credits awards for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 and provisional estimates as at April 2007 by constituency are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals against repayment of overpaid tax credits remain unresolved due to computer or other technical issues; and how many of the outstanding cases have been unresolved for  (a) one to three months,  (b) three to six months,  (c) six to 12 months and  (d) over 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs has around 19,500 disputed overpayment cases that cannot be fully resolved due to technical issues.
	A breakdown of this figure in the requested format is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what definition he uses of the sub-category of toxicological procedure Substances used in the Household in the context of his Department's Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals; and whether this sub-category applies to both finished household products and their ingredients.

Joan Ryan: The information published in the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain on toxicological procedures is classified according to the nature of the substance tested. There is no authoritative definition of the term 'household products' within toxicology and it is not defined in any national or international legislation.
	However, in the context of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, regard is paid to the definition of finished household products as set out in the 2002 publication on The Use of Animals in Testing Household Products produced by the Boyd Group, a forum encompassing a wide rage of expertise and perspectives concerned with the use of animals in scientific procedures. As part of the quality assurance process for compiling the statistics each return for the use of household products is scrutinised to ensure appropriate categorisation.
	All products that are primarily intended for use in the home fall within the sub-category 'Substances used in the household' and would include such products as detergents and other laundry products, household cleaners, air-fresheners, toilet blocks, polishes, paper products such as infant nappies, paints, glues (and removers), other furnishing and DIY products and household pesticides. The sub-category applies to both finished household products and their ingredients, although in practice mainly the latter are tested.
	Procedures for toxicological purposes accounted for 14 per cent. of all procedures started in 2005 and, of that, 0.005 per cent. of procedures were for the evaluation household products. The number of procedures for the testing of household products remains very small and has reduced dramatically from 1,032 procedures in 2002 to 21 in 2005, a fall of 98 per cent. It is anticipated that it will always be the case that only very small numbers of animals will be used for this purpose.

Asylum Seekers

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings he had with hon. Members to discuss the reconsideration of tribunal verdicts on the expulsion of failed asylum seekers in each month of 2006.

Liam Byrne: I meet with hon. Members, both formally and informally, on an almost daily basis to discuss issues relating to representations made by hon. Members.

Asylum: Deportation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which countries' agencies the immigration and nationality directorate co-operated in order to return failed asylum seekers in the last 12 months.

John Reid: The 1944 Chicago Convention on Civil Aviation, to which some 190 states are signatories, underpins the framework within which those, who no longer qualify to remain on the territory of a particular country, can be removed. Those arrangements generally operate successfully on a day- to-day basis, but there may be a need to enter into discussions or secure more formal arrangements with individual countries to enhance our ability to return. As part of strengthening this process we have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on returns with Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somaliland, United Arab Emirates (Dubai) and Vietnam. The UK has also opted-in to decisions to mandate the EU Commission to negotiate 16 readmission agreements on behalf of member states. In addition, we have bilateral readmission agreements with Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Switzerland. An agreement has been signed with Algeria and is currently in the process of ratification.
	In effecting the removal of those who do not qualify to remain in the United Kingdom (UK), we do not distinguish between failed asylum seekers and other immigration offenders.

Asylum: Employment

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of individuals awaiting a decision on their asylum claim are refused the right to work.

Liam Byrne: The information requested cannot be provided except by examining individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Community Support Officers

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recruitment and retention of police community support officers.

Tony McNulty: The target of 16,000 new police community support officers employed by forces by the end of April 2007 has been achieved. This met the very challenging target set out in the 2006 Budget, requiring in total almost a doubling in the numbers of PCSOs over a seven-month period. This represents a considerable achievement for forces.

Community Support Officers: Kent

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers were originally planned to be in post in Kent in March 2008; and how many are now expected to be in post on that date.

Tony McNulty: To achieve a national target of 24,000 police community support officers (PCSOs) Kent Constabulary would have employed 571 PCSOs by March 2008. A written ministerial statement on 27 November announced changes to this plan in the light of the progress that the police service has made towards delivering neighbourhood policing and requests from the service for greater flexibility. Kent Constabulary were accordingly due to have 382 PCSOs by 30 April 2007 as their share of the national target—which the police service achieved—of 16,000 PCSOs.
	It is open to Kent and other forces, depending on local circumstances and resources, to increase the number of PCSOs further if they consider it appropriate to meet the neighbourhood policing needs of their communities, but there is no expectation on them to do so. The aim now is to have a dedicated neighbourhood policing team embedded into every area in England and Wales by April 2008.

Community Support Officers: Manpower

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes he plans to make to the numbers of police community support officers in  (a) Essex,  (b) Hampshire,  (c) Kent,  (d) Surrey,  (e) East Sussex and  (f) West Sussex; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: It is for Chief Constables to determine the deployment of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) within their force area. The following table gives the number of PCSOs that these forces were due to have by 30 April 2007 as their share of the national target—which the police service achieved—of 16,000 PCSOs. It is open to all forces, depending on local circumstances and resources, to increase the number of PCSOs further if they consider it appropriate to meet the neighbourhood policing needs of their communities, but there is no expectation on them to do so. The aim now is to have a dedicated neighbourhood policing team embedded into every area in England and Wales by April 2008.
	
		
			  Police force target number of PCSOs at 30 April 2007 
			   Number 
			 Essex 362 
			 Hampshire 333 
			 Kent 382 
			 Surrey 222 
			 Sussex 354

Departmental Reorganisation

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total costs incurred by his Department from the departmental split resulting in the formation of the Ministry of Justice have been.

Liam Byrne: There will be no additional costs to the Home Office arising from the establishment of the Ministry of Justice; certain agreed costs incurred by the Home Office as part of this process will be reimbursed by the Ministry of Justice.

Departments

George Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff are working on priority legacy cases.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 7 June 2007
	In presenting a report on IND Reform to House on 25 July last year, the Home Secretary set out priorities for the asylum legacy programme. The director general of IND (now chief executive of BIA) then wrote to Home Affairs Committee on 19 February with update on legacy programme. This letter confirmed that a new directorate had been established to deal specifically with legacy cases and had been in operation since 1 November last year, with significant case working capability.
	Further casework resources will progressively come on stream over coming months.

Departments: Carbon Emissions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what methodology is used by his Department to account for its carbon emissions.

Liam Byrne: To account for its carbon emissions the Home Office measures the consumption of electricity, gas and fuel oil across the estate and converts these figures into carbon equivalents with the assistance of the Building Research Establishment. Carbon emissions from road travel undertaken by Home Office staff are accounted for in accordance with DEFRA's guidance to business on environmental reporting. We measure the amount of travel by hire cars, pool cars, private vehicles and taxis and take account of vehicle fuel type in calculating emissions. These figures are submitted for inclusion in the Sustainable Development in Government report published annually by the Sustainable Development Commission.
	Separately the Department participates in the Government's carbon offsetting scheme, which calculates the carbon dioxide emissions created by official air travel. Central data are provided to DEFRA who then adjust these to take into account the total impact that aviation imposes on climate change and purchase credits from projects which prevent or remove an equivalent amount of emissions from the atmosphere.

Departments: Contracts

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what payments his Department made to MVA Limited in each of the last three years; and what the purpose was of each payment.

Liam Byrne: The Department has records of one payment made to MVA Limited, of £68, in May 2004. The purpose of the payment could be determined only by incurring disproportionate costs.

Departments: Official Hospitality

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what official  (a) lunches,  (b) dinners and  (c) receptions he has hosted in each of the last six months; and what the (i) location, (ii) total cost and (iii) purpose was of each event.

John Reid: I have hosted numerous lunches, dinners and receptions regarding Home Office business during the last six months. Details of the exact location, total cost and purpose of each event could be obtained only by reviewing the records of each meeting. This could be done only at disproportionate costs.
	In each case, any hospitality was provided in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much was raised from the sale of departmental property in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what properties his Department  (a) owned and  (b) rented in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how much was received by his Department from the letting of its properties in each of the last five years;
	(4)  what the cost of leasing buildings and office space for  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies was in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Information on the ownership, rents, and disposals is not collected centrally and would require a review of individual historical records. This could be done only at disproportionate cost. Following the Machinery of Government changes of 9 May, the Home Office has reduced its estate so that it does not include properties relating to the National Offender Management Service including Prisons and Probation. In future years, a new central unit within the re-focused Home Office will collate and hold data on its property portfolio.

Departments: Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was to his Department of the unpublished research paper Sizing the Illegally Resident Working Population.

John Reid: The report into the 'Sizing of the Illegally Resident Working Population', released as part of Freedom of Information Act release FOI 3517, was technical in nature and the relevant aspects of this research are already contained in the published RDS online report 58/04—'Sizing the illegal population in the UK'. The research cost £20,020.

Departments: Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to his Department was of the unpublished research paper Development of a study into the impact of Government policy on asylum flows.

John Reid: The report 'Development of a study into the impact of Government policy on asylum flows' was released as part of Freedom of Information Act release FOI 3517. It was not previously published because it had not been developed into a report of publishable standard and there was not a sufficiently strong case for putting further resource into improving the report, given the rapid pace of change in asylum pressures and processes. The cost of the research is not available centrally.

Departments: Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to his Department was of the unfinished report Enforcement of warrants.

John Reid: The report into the 'Enforcement of Warrants' was released as part of Freedom of Information Act release FOI 3517 and was previously released with limited distribution. The research was produced internally and separately identifiable costs are not available.

Departments: Reviews

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 599-600W, how many Home Office reviews have been instigated or agreed to by Ministers since 5 May 2006; what the subject matter was of each review; and what the outcome was of each review.

John Reid: As soon as I became Home Secretary, I undertook three major reviews of (a) the Home Office as a whole; (b) the immigration and asylum system; and (c) the criminal justice system. The outcomes of each of these reviews was published in July 2006. In addition, the Prime Minister asked me to instigate a review of counter terrorism, but there is a limit to what I can report on the results of this review due to national security considerations. Finally, I have recently instigated a review of policing, led by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Ronnie Flanagan. My drive to improve delivery in the Home Office's objectives means that a wide range of other reviews of policy and operational issues have been undertaken and continue to be undertaken (such as a review of deportation of foreign national prisoners and Sir Ian Magee's review of the criminal records of offences committed abroad by UK nationals). To identify every one could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Travel Agents

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department and its agencies paid in travel agencies' fees in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The Department does not hold the information, at the requested level of detail, in a readily accessible form. An answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Detainees: Religious Practice

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to ensure the right to religious observance is upheld in immigration removal centres.

John Reid: The Detention Centre Rules 2001 require arrangements to be in place for ministers of religion to conduct religious services for detainees.
	Each centre is monitored by an on-site Border and Immigration Agency team and is subject to scrutiny by the Independent Monitoring Board. Both are able to pursue any issues where it is felt that the right to religious observance is not being upheld.

Detainees: Religious Practice

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines his Department has issued on collective worship in immigration removal centres.

John Reid: All centres have in place arrangements where detainees can attend collective prayers. The Detention Centre Rules 2001 require arrangements to be in place for ministers of religion to conduct religious services for detainees.

Detainees: Transport

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on moving asylum claimants between immigration removal centres in each of the last five years.

John Reid: The contract price for in country escorts is inclusive and covers all required escort movements for immigration detainees including inter-detention estate transfers.

Driving Offences

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many roadside enforcement checks dealing with  (a) speed,  (b) drink driving,  (c) driving under the influence of drugs,  (d) use of seat belts and child restraints,  (e) mobile telephone use and  (f) vehicle safety have taken place in each police force area in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not collected centrally.

Driving Offences

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the driving population has been stopped by the police for a roadside check to deal with  (a) speed,  (b) drink driving,  (c) driving under the influence of drugs,  (d) use of seat belts and child restraints,  (e) mobile telephone use and  (f) vehicle safety in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the number and purposes of vehicle stops carried out by the police is not collected centrally. Information on the number of screening breath tests carried out by the police and on the number of motoring offences detected is contained in the annual publication "Motoring Offences and Breath Test Statistics, England and Wales" available in the Library and at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pubsstatistical.html

Firearms: Crime

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents involving the use of ball-bearing guns have been reported in the last five years; and what action he intends to take to tackle the misuse of such guns.

Vernon Coaker: Available figures relate to the use of BB guns. A BB gun is a low powered weapon which fires pellets (rather than ball bearings) at a low velocity.
	Statistics on the number of offences involving BB guns have only been collected separately since April 2004.
	There were 2,864 and 2,753 BB gun offences during 2004-05 and 2005-06 respectively.
	The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 will double the maximum custodial sentence for possessing an imitation firearm in a public place without reasonable excuse to one year. It will also make it illegal to sell any imitation firearm to a person under 18 and will ban the manufacture, import and sale of realistic imitation firearms. We intend to commence these provisions with effect from 1 October.

Fulbright Fellowship in Police Studies

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) civilian staff applied for the Fullbright Fellowship in Police Studies' scheme in each year since its introduction.

Tony McNulty: A breakdown of applications received for the Fulbright Fellowship from police staff for the period 2004-05 to 2006-07 is shown in the following table.
	Previous records do not show a breakdown whether the applicant was a police officer or police staff, however, awards made in 2006-07 went to a detective inspector and a member of police staff.
	
		
			  Number 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  Total applications : 12 16 22 
			 Ethnic minority 1 2 4 
			 Female 1 6 8 
			 
			  Interviewed : 6 6 6 
			 Ethnic minority 0 1 1 
			 Female 1 2 2 
			 
			  Awards made: 5 2 2 
			 Ethnic minority 0 0 1 
			 Female 1 0 1

Identity Cards

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which locations facilities are  (a) in existence and  (b) planned for (i) the manufacture of identity cards and (ii) the processing of identity card applications.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service will be responsible for the issue of identity cards to British citizens alongside the issue of British passports. However, no final decisions have yet been taken on the precise arrangements for the processing of applications or the manufacture of identity cards and this will depend on the outcome of future procurements.

Immigrants: Health

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what systems his Department has put in place for monitoring the response made in immigration decisions to the advice of medical inspectors.

Liam Byrne: As part of the implementation of the Port Health Review recommendations, a survey was conducted at Heathrow and Gatwick at the end of last year to determine the part the medical inspector's advice plays in making immigration decisions. The results of the survey are still being considered.

Immigrants: Health Services

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what formal arrangements his Department has made for the health care of sick travellers detained by the immigration service.

Liam Byrne: Any passengers subject to immigration control detained by the immigration service would normally be kept in holding rooms at ports only for short periods.
	There is no on-site health care provision in those holding rooms without sleeping accommodation. In the event of a medical emergency, an ambulance is called. Where medical advice is required (for example relating to medication) arrangements are in place for detention custody officers to phone an advice line similar to NHS Direct, who advise on what further medical attention is required. Detainees held in immigration removal centres have access to on-site health care.

Immigrants: Tuberculosis

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government tests those who wish to enter the UK for a period of six months or more from countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis in their country of origin.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Warley (Mr. Spellar) on 8 May 2007,  Official Report, column 80W.

Immigrants: Tuberculosis

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of people from countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and seeking entry into the UK for a period of six months or more were tested for tuberculosis at ports of entry in the last period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: Statistics are not recorded in this form.

Immigration Controls: Russia

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Russian citizens have been refused entry into the United Kingdom on the grounds of a threat to national security in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 11 June 2007
	As a matter of policy we do not comment on matters relating to national security. However, all applicants for entry clearance must meet the requirements of the immigration rules and associated policies, as set out on the UKVisas website at
	www.ukvisas.gov.uk .

Immigration: Applications

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-English speaking immigrants applied for residency in the UK in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available. The Border and Immigration Agency do not hold any details of the language(s) spoken by applicants who apply for indefinite leave to remain or enter in the United Kingdom. Changes to the immigration rules were announced on 4 December 2006 and took effect on 2 April 2007. These will require persons subject to immigration control and in a category that leads to settlement to demonstrate knowledge of the English language and of knowledge of life in the United Kingdom before settlement can be granted.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 8 May regarding a constituent, ref: M10538/7.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 June 2007
	I wrote to my hon. Friend on 13 June 2007.

National Identity Register

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of omissions and errors in the postcode address file on the proposed national identity scheme; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: It is proposed that the national identity scheme will make use of the postcode address file as a method of address validation. However, it will not be the sole source of validation and provisions will be made to permit non-PAF compliant addresses to be recorded appropriately.

Offensive Weapons

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) injured and  (b) killed as a result of knife crime offences in (i) Suffolk, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) Cambridgeshire, (iv) Essex, (v) Hertfordshire and (vi) Norfolk in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The information available centrally relates to homicides by sharp instrument recorded by the police and is given in the table. Data for 2006-07 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Offences currently recorded( 1)  as homicide by sharp instrument in the East of England region( 2) ,  1997-98 to 2005-06 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Bedfordshire 3 2 1 2 7 1 1 2 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 1 4 0 1 2 5 1 2 
			 Essex 1 5 9 2 10 7 5 0 7 
			 Hertfordshire 2 1 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 
			 Norfolk 0 5 2 4 1 0 3 1 1 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 3 2 0 2 2 3 
			 East of England total 7 14 21 15 24 14 20 11 20 
			 (1) As at 9 October 2006: figures subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information comes to light. (2) England and Wales totals published in "Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2005/06". (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 02/07).

Police Cautions: Children

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were cautioned by police in each year since 1997, broken down by age of child.

John Reid: Information from the Cautions database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of juveniles aged 10 to 17 cautioned by the police for all offences in England and Wales from 1997-2005, broken down by age, are provided in the following tables. Both cautions and convictions have increased since 1997.
	
		
			  Number of offenders aged 10 to 17 cautioned in England and Wales, by age, 1997-2007( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Age  1997  7998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 10 2,052 2,297 2,207 2,061 1,979 1,611 1,650 1,719 2,095 
			 11 4,283 4,775 4,599 4,484 4,422 3,537 3,559 3,847 4,536 
			 12 7,744 8,807 8,278 8,247 8,182 6,878 6,990 8,004 9,235 
			 13 12,219 13,746 13,244 12,713 13,296 10,862 11,353 13,356 15,597 
			 14 17,383 17,979 17,662 17,529 17,473 15,227 15,908 18,984 22,397 
			 15 19,737 20,896 19,788 19,267 19,567 17,005 18,732 21 ,663 24,826 
			 16 20,404 20,583 19,008 17,505 17,920 16,313 17,714 20,346 22,149 
			 17 20,698 20,642 19,192 15,735 15,203 15,156 16,027 17,089 18,040 
			 Total 104,520 109,725 103,978 97,541 98,042 86,589 91,933 105,008 118,875 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Offenders aged under 10 cannot be cautioned for an offence. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of juveniles found guilty at all courts or cautioned for all offences, England and Wales 1997 to 2005( 1) 
			   Found guilty  Cautioned( 2) 
			   Male  Female  Total  Male  Female  Total 
			 1997 69,697 9,454 79,151 80,866 23,654 104,520 
			 1998 75,701 10,805 86,506 82,441 27,284 109,725 
			 1999 79,389 10,891 90,280 78,478 25,500 103,978 
			 2000 80,513 10,910 91,423 72,089 25,452 97,541 
			 2001 84,128 11,402 95,530 72,070 25,972 98,042 
			 2002 83,181 11,365 94,546 63,554 23,034 86,588 
			 2003 80,849 11,692 92,541 66,910 25,023 91,933 
			 2004 83,413 12,775 96,188 74,476 30,532 105,008 
			 2005 82,431 13,726 96,157 83,199 35,676 118,875 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) From 1 June 2000 Cautions for 10 to 17-year-olds were replaced by reprimands and final warnings under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Police: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police funding in Cambridgeshire.

Tony McNulty: Cambridgeshire police authority, like every other police authority in England and Wales, has received a sustained increase in police funding over the last 10 years. Total grants to Cambridgeshire have increased by nearly £30 million (51.2 per cent.) since 1997-98.

Police: Complaints

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas) of 18 May 2007,  Official Report, column 960W, on police complaints, when he last met the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to discuss the number of complaints made to the IPCC.

Tony McNulty: I have met the IPCC on a number of occasions to discuss issues around the police complaints system, the most recent being in March 2007 when complaints statistics were discussed.

Police: Death Benefits

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance he provides to the dependants of fallen police officers; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 provide for certain awards and gratuities to be paid by the police authority for the force where the officer last served to his or her dependants where the officer died as the result of an injury received without default in the execution of his or her duty as a constable. A surviving spouse or civil partner will receive a pension of up to half the officer's pensionable pay plus a lump-sum gratuity of up to either five times the officer's pensionable pay or four times the officer's total remuneration for the last twelve months of his or her service, whichever is the lesser amount. Other awards are available for surviving children and adult dependent relatives, subject to eligibility, the amount of any such award depending on the circumstances.

Police: Electronic Equipment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in providing front-line police officers with electronic hand-held devices to assist in reducing officer time away from such duties.

Tony McNulty: Many forces are trialling the use of hand held devices, with support and guidance from the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). Through the NPIA, the Home Office has directly funded mobile data trials in progress in six forces.
	These trials will enable national standards to be created and provide valuable assessments of operational benefits; the time saved by officers not having to return to the station; and the differences between the bearers and devices in different situations.

Police: Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the use by police authorities of the allocation of receipts from taxation on second homes and the allocation of such funds to the district from which they were collected.

Tony McNulty: We have received no such representations.

Police: Health

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been allocated to police authorities to enable police officers to maintain high levels of physical fitness in 2007-08.

Tony McNulty: Police authorities are responsible for setting their own budgets and therefore determining how the funds received from central and local government are spent.

Police: ICT

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces are equipped with National Strategy for Police Information Systems in respect of  (a) custody and  (b) case preparation; when he expects the remaining police forces to adopt such systems; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: 23 police forces have implemented the National Strategy for Police Information Systems (NSPIS) electronic custody management application in at least one site. 18 of these have the system deployed in all relevant sites. 26 forces have the NSPIS electronic case management application in live use in at least one site, with full implementation completed in 20 forces.
	The implementation programme is now entering its final stages and will be completed in all forces—other than the Metropolitan Police (MPS)—by the end of 2007. The MPS will complete their implementation in 2008.

Police: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each police authority operating in West Lancashire constituency spent on training  (a) police officers,  (b) police community support officers and  (c) special constables in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: Spending on local staff training is an operational issue for the chief constable of Lancashire constabulary.

Police: Motor Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the levels of road accidents involving police response vehicles.

Vernon Coaker: In responding effectively to emergency situations the police must have due regard to the safety of other road users. We welcome the guidance given in this area by ACPO and have been co-operating with the current inquiry into police related road traffic incidents being carried out by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. We look forward to its report and acting, with the police, on any lessons to be learned. The Home Office Scientific Development Branch is also currently working to enhance police driver training through a project to develop a simulator. This will enable trainees to develop their skills for pursuit and emergency response in realistic scenarios off-road.

Police: Ports

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of policing the UK's borders and entry points in the last year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The requested information is not held centrally by the Department.

Police: Road Traffic

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces do not have a dedicated roads policing division; and what the title is of the units and divisions in each force which have responsibility for roads policing among their other duties.

Tony McNulty: Force organisation and deployment of resources are matters for individual chief officers and such information is not collected centrally.

Police: Road Traffic

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of roads policing officers on duty at any given time was in each police force in the last period for which figures are available; and what percentage of the force's total number of officers on duty each figure represents.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not available centrally.

Police: Road Traffic

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average number of roads policing officers on duty at any given time in each of the police forces in the last period for which figures are available were  (a) carrying out patrolling duties and  (b) carrying out roadside enforcement checks.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not collected centrally.

Police: Terrorism

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 265W, on the police: terrorism, how many police officers are planned to be equipped with specialist training skills in order to deal with a terrorist attack under the Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear Resilience Programme.

Tony McNulty: As part of the Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Resilience Programme the police currently intend to increase the number of officers specially trained in CBRN to approximately 12,000. This total is driven by operational requirements and as such is kept under review and may change.

Ports: Health

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department has taken with the Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency to publish an explanation of accountabilities and responsibilities for stakeholder organisations and staff with regard to port health; and where this written explanation is available.

Liam Byrne: An explanatory document entitled Health activity relating to people at ports, airports and international train stations in England was published on 31 July 2006 on the Department of Health website at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4137780
	and on the Home Office and Health Protection Agency websites in early August 2006 at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/healthactivity.pdf
	and
	http://www.hpa.org.uk/porthealth/who_is_responsible_for_what_at_ports.pdf
	respectively.

Safer Neighbourhoods Programme

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each London borough contributed to safer neighbourhood teams match funding in each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: We do not collect this information centrally. Local authorities, among other partners, are encouraged to provide matched funding to enhance community safety. Partnership working is key to successful delivery of neighbourhood policing and the more matched funding forces acquire, the better placed they will be to invest further in policing their local communities.

Stop and Search: Vehicles

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people whose vehicles have been stopped and searched under the Terrorism Act 2000 have been  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of (i) a notifiable offence and (ii) a terrorism-related offence; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The stops and search statistical collection, held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, identifies vehicles and occupiers searched under s44(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 by resultant arrests only.
	The information is not linked with details of any subsequent prosecutions and convictions.

Stop and Search: Vehicles

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles were stopped and searched in each police force area in England in each year from 1997-98 to 2007-08; how many of these vehicles in each year were stopped and searched under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The available information is given in the following tables from 1998-99 to 2004-05 (latest available). Information on "vehicles only" searches is not available for 1997-98.
	
		
			  Total searches( 1)  of vehicles( 2 ) and searches of vehicles under section 44(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000( 3) , by police force area in England, from 1998-99 to 2004-05 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			  Police force area  Total vehicles only searched  Vehicles only searched under s44(1) Terrorism Act  Total vehicles only searched  Vehicles only searched under s44(1) Terrorism Act  Total vehicles only searched  Vehicles only searched under s44(1) Terrorism Act  Total vehicles only searched  Vehicles only searched under s44(1) Terrorism Act 
			 Avon and Somerset 749 — 672 — 399 — 504 — 
			 Bedfordshire 40 — 58 — 39 — 53 — 
			 Cambridgeshire 90 — 77 — 114 — 207 — 
			 Cheshire 966 — 796 — 615 — 383 7 
			 Cleveland 277 — 190 — 218 — 159 — 
			 Cumbria 475 — 360 — 284 — 281 — 
			 Derbyshire 1,259 — 1,583 — 501 — 437 5 
			 Devon and Cornwall 944 — 702 — 601 — 709 2 
			 Dorset 242 — 450 — 486 12 193 — 
			 Durham 101 17 93 — 64 — 352 235 
			 Essex 725 — 887 — 1,115 — 775 — 
			 Gloucestershire 519 — 650 — 580 — 572 4 
			 Greater Manchester 1,752 — 1,557 — 1,365 — 1,338 — 
			 Hampshire 216 9 451 2 243 — 202 — 
			 Hertfordshire 488 — 407 — 372 — 307 3 
			 Humberside — — 6 — 144 — 23 — 
			 Kent 7,231 3 5,684 2 2,662 39 1,231 — 
			 Lancashire n/a n/a 620 — 438 — 700 — 
			 Leicestershire 878 — 303 — 439 — 1,075 1 
			 Lincolnshire 734 — 314 — 149 — 155 — 
			 London, City of 6 4 13 3 27 14 7 1 
			 Merseyside 1,095 — 581 — 1,753 — 1,770 — 
			 Metropolitan police 5,373 710 2,626 72 5,074 2,276 4,072 1,108 
			 Norfolk 522 — 346 — 463 — 1,091 — 
			 Northamptonshire 181 — 337 — 278 — 268 — 
			 Northumbria 1,147 — 632 — 437 — 377 — 
			 North Yorkshire 402 6 386 — 205 3 251 — 
			 Nottinghamshire 246 — 152 — 289 — 269 — 
			 South Yorkshire 703 — 863 — 929 — 939 205 
			 Staffordshire 212 — 174 — 149 — 205 — 
			 Suffolk 813 1 490 — 306 — 262 — 
			 Surrey 119 — 71 — 82 — 69 — 
			 Sussex 480 — 639 — 811 73 825 64 
			 Thames Valley 775 — 467 — 437 — 343 — 
			 Warwickshire 304 — 424 — 331 — 272 — 
			 West Mercia 479 — 3,416 — 2,317 — 1,093 — 
			 West Midlands 247 — 35 — n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 West Yorkshire 4,310 — 4,510 — 3,219 — 4,910 — 
			 Wiltshire 851 — 543 — 432 — 349 — 
			 England 35,951 750 32,565 79 28,367 2,417 27,028 1,635 
		
	
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Police force area  Total vehicles only searched  Vehicles only searched under s44(1) Terrorism Act  Total vehicles only searched  Vehicles only searched under s44(1) Terrorism Act  Total vehicles only searched  Vehicles only searched under s44(1) Terrorism Act 
			 Avon and Somerset 697 — 587 — 265 — 
			 Bedfordshire 48 — 48 — 16 — 
			 Cambridgeshire 223 — 202 — 167 1 
			 Cheshire 694 58 422 — 888 — 
			 Cleveland 150 — 129 — 126 — 
			 Cumbria 96 — 78 — 91 — 
			 Derbyshire 433 — 424 — 366 — 
			 Devon and Cornwall 481 — 295 2 92 — 
			 Dorset 157 — 126 — 74 — 
			 Durham 85 — 79 — 84 — 
			 Essex 518 — 161 4 265 124 
			 Gloucestershire 633 4 564 1 618 — 
			 Greater Manchester 1,685 89 727 37 963 235 
			 Hampshire 184 2 220 17 256 35 
			 Hertfordshire 62 — 185 — 244 — 
			 Humberside 170 — 144 — 164 — 
			 Kent 548 8 n/a n/a n/a — 
			 Lancashire 633 — 696 — 611 — 
			 Leicestershire 476 3 815 — 1,753 — 
			 Lincolnshire 219 — 217 — 127 — 
			 London, City of 67 42 29 24 51 21 
			 Merseyside 1,313 — 202 — 147 — 
			 Metropolitan police 14,373 10,198 5,558 4,157 4,033 2,935 
			 Norfolk 132 2 180 — 164 — 
			 Northamptonshire 296 — 246 — 79 — 
			 Northumbria 365 — 193 — 236 40 
			 North Yorkshire 227 — 180 — 50 3 
			 Nottinghamshire 356 — 820 — 106 — 
			 South Yorkshire 794 105 419 — 424 — 
			 Staffordshire 214 — 279 — 161 — 
			 Suffolk 321 1 153 — 204 — 
			 Surrey 88 8 92 1 68 5 
			 Sussex 477 32 496 10 604 59 
			 Thames Valley 607 — 278 3 214 1 
			 Warwickshire 229 — 173 — 105 — 
			 West Mercia n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 West Midlands n/a n/a 46 — 106 — 
			 West Yorkshire 7,804 — 1,116 — 1,430 — 
			 Wiltshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 England 35,855 10,552 16,579 4,256 15,352 3,459 
			 n/a = Not available. "Vehicles only" searches not separately identifiable from other searches recorded.  (1 )Total searches includes searches: under s1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Firearms Act 1968; also included are other legislation which relates to searches under other powers, such as under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 s15 (which since 19 February 2001 has been replaced by section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000); various poaching and wildlife conservation legislation; the Aviation Security Act 1982, s27(1); the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s163 and 164; and the Sporting Events (control of Alcohol, etc) Act 1985; s60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; and s44(1) and 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (formerly s13A and 13B of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989.  (2) Searches may be conducted on vehicles only, occupants only or both may be searched. Where a vehicle and driver occupier are searched simultaneously the search is recorded against the driver (occupant). Any other passengers searched are recorded as occupants. Data given in the table are where a "vehicle only" has been searched.  (3) S44(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (formerly s13A of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989).   Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.   Source:  Stops/Searches collection held by Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Sussex Police: Finance

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in Government funding for Sussex police has been over the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Sussex police—funding 
			   1997-98  2007-08 
			 General Government grants (£) 127,990,358 161,716,484 
			 Percentage change in general Government grants — 26.4 
			 Specific grants and capital provision (£) 4,258,000 36,110,087 
			 Total Government grants (£) 132,248,358 197,826,571 
			 Percentage change in total Government grants — 49.6

Theft: Dogs

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has given to police forces on the policing of dog thefts.

Tony McNulty: Where dog thefts emerge as a local crime issue it is for the police, in consultation with their local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, to take appropriate action.
	There is no national strategy to manage dog theft and we have no plans to issue guidance to police forces.

Vetting: Maladministration

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people's Criminal Records Bureau checks were incorrect in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number and percentage of people whose Criminal Records Bureau information is incorrect.

Joan Ryan: The following table illustrates the number of disclosures issued where the applicant details were matched by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to an individual who had a criminal record due to the similarities in the personal details. In these cases, the details were challenged by the applicants and their disclosures were subsequently amended.
	
		
			Upheld matching disputes 
			  Financial year  Disclosures issued  Number  Percentage 
			 2004-05 2,434,290 1,181 0.048 
			 2005-06 2,772,929 678 0.024 
			 2006-07 3,283,356 724 0.022

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Aerials: Planning Permission

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications for telecommunications masts were approved by the Planning Inspectorate in each of the last five years.

Meg Munn: The number and outcome of planning appeals relating to telecommunications masts dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate in each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Allowed  Percentage allowed  Dismissed  Percentage dismissed  Total 
			 2002-03 127 58.53 90 41.47 217 
			 2003-04 73 55.30 59 44.70 132 
			 2004-05 63 55.75 50 44.25 113 
			 2005-06 126 52.28 115 47.72 241 
			 2006-07 81 45.00 99 55.00 180

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she  (a) has taken and  (b) proposes to take during the next 12 months to secure implementation of her response to the Report of the All Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Government welcomed the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism and published their response in March this year. In order to take the recommendations forward, we have set up a cross-government working group. Jewish stakeholders and others have been invited to the first meeting which will take place on the 20 June.

Best Value

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how the Comprehensive Area Assessment will differ from the Comprehensive Performance Assessment and Best Value.

Phil Woolas: Unlike the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) which was established to bring together views on the current performance of a local authority, the new risk assessment will look at risk and will focus more on areas rather than just institutions. The risk assessment will be undertaken jointly by all local services inspectorates and will be the primary source for determining future inspection programmes allowing a better targeted, more proportionate approach. The majority of existing rolling programmes of inspection will cease during 2008-09.
	Under best value local authorities are required to secure continuous improvement in they way they exercise their functions having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Evidence of how well authorities complied with or achieved best value was considered as part of CPA and will continue under the new CAA. The Audit Commission will continue to have powers to inspect under Best Value, with any inspection in future being triggered by the risk assessment.

Council Tax: Valuation

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to prevent increases in council tax valuations arising from the making of environmental improvements to properties.

Phil Woolas: Making environmental improvements will have no effect on the current council tax banding of a property. If a property is sold, any environmental or other improvements may have a positive or negative effect but only if they are such that they push the value of the property into the next band range.

Departments: Equality Act 2006 (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what public awareness-raising activities her Department is planning to increase understanding of the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007.

Meg Munn: Officials have attended a wide range of events in order to raise awareness of the regulations, which came into force on 30 April. These have included presentations to lesbian, gay and bisexual rights groups such as Stonewall and the Intercom Trust, as well as taking part in a sexual orientation law event, open to members of the public.
	This awareness raising activity will be ongoing in advance of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights opening its doors this October, with officials participating in events in Birmingham, Leicester, Gateshead and Manchester, which will highlight the effects of the new regulations alongside other anti-discrimination measures. Officials are also organising outreach events specifically directed at improving understanding of the regulations among service providers and faith groups.
	The Government published guidance on the regulations on 30 April and further information, including a 'quick guide' to the regulations and answers to 'frequently asked questions' are also available on the Department's website.

Departments: Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in her Department received bonus payments in 2006-07; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government made bonus payments to 561 staff under the terms of the 2006 pay settlements. This represents 24 per cent. of the total work force as at 1 April 2006. This does not include staff in Government offices.
	The total amount paid as bonus payments under these arrangements in 2006 was £838,250 and the largest single payment was £12,000.
	The Department has a Special Bonus Scheme to reward exceptional performance over a limited period, in particularly, demanding tasks or situations. The maximum bonus under these arrangements is £600 but records are not yet available to show the number of payments made under this scheme in 2006-07.
	The Department has not yet reached agreement on the level and award of bonus payments for 2007.

Empty Property

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department's Electronic Survey of Empty Homes Data Collection Scheme records Empty Dwelling Management Orders issued by local authorities.

Yvette Cooper: No.

Empty Property: Lancashire

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty or abandoned properties there were in the Elevate area of East Lancashire when the body was established; and how many there are now.

Yvette Cooper: Elevate, the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder for East Lancashire, was formed in 2003. In December of that year they submitted their first strategic plan for housing market renewal, which indicated that there were 8,000 empty properties in the Pathfinder intervention area. These are properties that have been empty for six or more months. At the end of the financial year 2006-07 there were 6,017 empty properties.

Fire Service: Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to inform fire-fighters of changes to the terms and conditions of those retained under a second contract.

Angela Smith: Firefighters are employed by fire and rescue authorities who have a duty to inform them of any changes to their terms and conditions of service. Communities and Local Government provides authorities with guides to the pension and compensation arrangements which are made under statutory powers and these should be made available to employees.

Fire Services: Information and Communications Technology

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the full combined costs are of all the interim solutions needed for the  (a) FireControl and  (b) FireLink projects.

Angela Smith: These costs are contractually and commercially confidential and cannot be disclosed.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the market price of a home information pack, including VAT, excluding the Home Condition Report element.

Ruth Kelly: Estimates of the cost of compiling a Home Information Pack are set out in the Impact Assessment that was published alongside the Home Information Pack Regulations.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether details of energy performance certificates will be held on the Home Condition Report database.

Ruth Kelly: There will be separate registers for Energy Performance Certificates and Home Condition Reports.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's latest estimate is of the average market cost of a home information pack, including VAT,  (a) with a home condition report and  (b) without a home condition report following the publication of the Home Information Pack Regulations 2007.

Ruth Kelly: Estimates of the cost of compiling a Home Information Pack are set out in the Impact Assessment that was published alongside the Home Information Pack Regulations.

Home Information Packs

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many accredited home information pack inspectors are ready to operate in  (a) the UK and  (b) the South West; and how many are expected to be ready by 1 June 2007.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State on 22 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1107, and the answer given to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 817W.

Housing

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of four bedroom properties likely to be placed for sale on the housing market between 1 August and 31 December 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: As the Secretary of State said in her statement on 22 May, properties with four bedrooms or more represent approximately 18 per cent. of total housing stock.

Housing

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many owner occupiers in each of the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders in England have had their properties demolished and are now in a new home with greater mortgage or loan costs than before.

Yvette Cooper: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect this data.
	Since the Housing Market Renewal programme began, over 38,000 properties have been refurbished and approximately 9,000 demolished. The Pathfinders operate a wide range of loan and grant schemes to support those who relocate.

Housing: Advisory Services

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what resources have been provided for the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit to deliver its mission; how many staff are employed in the unit; whether there are any plans to expand the unit's staffing; and what assessment she has made of the unit's performance to date.

Yvette Cooper: The National Housing and Planning Advice Unit was established on 7 November 2006 and became fully operational in March. An expert board of six members is steering the work programme of a small technical unit of 12, which includes Economists, Planners and Statisticians. There are no current plans to alter this staffing arrangement.
	Funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government for the year 2006-07 amounted to £1.056 million. Funding for 2007-08 has not yet been finalised.
	The Unit's first publication, "Affordability Matters", was released as part of the Unit's official launch on 7 June 2007. This document is welcomed by government, and provides compelling evidence of the need to increase housing supply to address affordability problems across the country.

Housing: Newcastle upon Tyne

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Ministers agreed the target of 25 per cent. of new affordable homes for the Strategic Commission areas in West Newcastle set by the Newcastle Gateshead Pathfinder.

Yvette Cooper: No. Decisions on detailed affordability targets for specific areas within a pathfinder are taken locally, and are agreed by the relevant local authority, in this case Newcastle city council.

Housing: Private Finance Initiative

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken to increase the effectiveness of the housing private finance initiative programme.

Yvette Cooper: Since the early Pathfinder schemes were accepted onto the Housing Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Programme, the Department has made a number of changes, both to regulations and in respect of internal resourcing, to increase the effectiveness of the programme.
	We have made two legislative changes, one to allow the sub-contracting of housing management functions and the other to provide new financial freedoms to build new social housing in Housing Revenue Account PFI schemes.
	We have improved the guidance and tools available for PFI by publishing the Housing PFI Procurement Pack and issuing a new housing PFI financial model, increasing certainty about costings and affordability and streamlining the data required from authorities. In addition, more emphasis is now placed on improving the scoping and costings of proposals at an early stage.
	We have also established a departmental Central Private Finance Unit (CPFU) to strengthen PFI governance, ensure consistency in programme management and provide commercial and management advice and support to PFI policy teams.
	We are in the process of reviewing the costs of new build housing PFI schemes and we are currently undertaking further work with a number of local authorities and the Housing Corporation on new build costs.

Housing: Rents

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the outstanding arrears of rent on council-owned  (a) residential and  (b) commercial property are in each London borough.

Yvette Cooper: The outstanding arrears of rent on council-owned residential property in each London borough are available in the following table. This information for council-owned commercial property is not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Outstanding arrears of rent on council-owed residential property in each London borough, as reported by local authorities 
			  March 2006  £000 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,618 
			 Barnet 2,309 
			 Bexley — 
			 Brent 2,460 
			 Bromley — 
			 Camden 4,122 
			 City of London 198 
			 Croydon 2,790 
			 Ealing 5,500 
			 Enfield 2,900 
			 Greenwich 14,991 
			 Hackney 10,909 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,746 
			 Haringey 6,143 
			 Harrow 1,007 
			 Havering 1,096 
			 Hillingdon 2,292 
			 Hounslow 2,190 
			 Islington 10,419 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,630 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,367 
			 Lambeth 16,059 
			 Lewisham 7,125 
			 Merton 1,001 
			 Newham 7,956 
			 Redbridge 1,011 
			 Richmond upon Thames — 
			 Southwark 13,472 
			 Sutton n/a 
			 Tower Hamlets 4,099 
			 Waltham Forest 3,434 
			 Wandsworth 4,646 
			 Westminster 6,203 
			 '—' All or most of the local authority stock has been transferred to the registered social landlord sector, so the rent arrears is no longer applicable. n/a = Data not provided by the London borough of Sutton.  Source: Communities and Local Government Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Subsidy Form, 2nd Advance.

Infrastructure: Planning

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will provide financial or other resource support to members of the public and voluntary stakeholder groups to participate in the consultation on draft national policy statements on infrastructural planning.

Yvette Cooper: Paragraph 1.44 of the White Paper, "Planning for a Sustainable Future" (cm 7120) states that, alongside the introduction of the new infrastructure planning system, the Government intend to increase grant funding for bodies such as Planning Aid to ensure members of the public get the advice and support they need to get involved on site-specific proposals in national policy statements, and in the planning inquiries on major infrastructure projects.

Local Authorities: Cost Effectiveness

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) Gershon Review and  (b) annual efficiency savings were set for local authorities in each year since their introduction.

Phil Woolas: The Gershon Review identified scope for 2.5 per cent. per annum efficiency gains in local government during the 2004 Spending Review period, and this figure was adopted by the Government as a target for every local authority. This equated to £1 billion of new efficiency gains from councils in each year. At least half of these gains had to be cashable, i.e. release cash that could be reallocated by councils to meet local priorities. The Gershon Review set no targets for headcount reduction in local authorities.
	Councils reported that they achieved £1.2 billion of new efficiency gains during 2005-06, of which £0.9 billion were cashable. They are due to report on the new gains achieved during 2006-07 in the summer. Information on the efficiency targets for individual councils, and the gains they have achieved so far, is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1134484

Local Government Finance Funding Changes Independent Inquiry

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department is planning to produce a formal response to the Lyons inquiry; and what the timetable is for considering the report's recommendations.

Ruth Kelly: Sir Michael Lyons' work played a major contribution in the development of the Local Government White Paper, which is being implemented through the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill. His report and recommendations will continue to inform the development of Government policy.

Local Government Finance: Greater London

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if the Government will provide additional financial assistance to central London local authorities with large numbers of arrivals from A8 nations.

Phil Woolas: The Government have made available over £600,000 to central London local authorities in recognition of the pressures on their homelessness services caused by A8 nationals. In particular to support work to tackle rough sleeping.

Local Government: Greater London

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received recommending local government restructuring in Greater London in the last 12 months.

Ruth Kelly: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has not received any representations on this issue in the last 12 months.

Local Government: Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for publishing the valuation of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Ruth Kelly: Local authority pension funds in England and Wales underwent an actuarial valuation of their funds from 31 March 2007, as required by the Scheme's regulations. The outcome for each fund will not be known until later in the current financial year. Details of individual fund valuation results may be requested directly from each local authority who has responsibility for a pension fund.
	The Department has not, in the past, published the results of the Scheme's triennial valuations, but discussions with interested parties will commence shortly to explore the scope for publication.

Local Government: Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the Treasury's estimate was in 1997 of the financial cost to the Local Government Pension Scheme per year of abolishing tax credits on dividends;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the gross financial cost to the Local Government Pension Scheme in  (a) England and  (b) Wales of the effect of the abolition of dividend tax credits in each year since 1999-2000.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2211W, to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles).

Local Government: Reform

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account was taken of the local election purdah period in setting the timetable for the consultation on local government restructuring; and what guidance has been produced for local authorities on statements that may be made on such restructuring during the purdah period.

Ruth Kelly: In deciding the consultation period, the Secretary of State had regard to the date of the local elections. The code of practice on local authority publicity makes it clear that local authorities should not at any time use public funds to mount publicity campaigns whose primary purpose is to persuade the public to hold a particular view on a question of policy, and that authorities must take particular care when publicity is issued immediately prior to an election. In particular, where publicity is used to comment on the proposals or policies of central Government or other local authorities the content should be objective, balanced, informative and accurate.

Multiple Occupation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of  (a) discretionary and  (b) mandatory licensing of houses of multiple occupation on the (i) buy-to-let and (ii) housing market.

Ruth Kelly: The Building Research Establishment (BRE) was commissioned to undertake a baseline survey on Houses in Multiple Occupation prior to licensing. This will be published shortly. BRE have also been commissioned to conduct a follow up study on the practical implication, effectiveness and impact of mandatory and discretionary licensing and this research is due to commence in early 2008.

North Lincolnshire Council

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the capital allowance to North Lincolnshire Council was in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 19 December 2006
	The information requested is not held centrally.

Planning

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she plans to take to improve parliamentary scrutiny of national planning policy statements following paragraph 1.44 of the planning white paper, Cm 7120.

Yvette Cooper: Paragraphs 3.27 and 3.28 of the White Paper "Planning for a Sustainable Future" (Cm 7120), explain that as Ministers would no longer be taking decisions on individual applications, it believes that draft national policy statements should be subject to parliamentary scrutiny, and that further work is needed to identify the most appropriate mechanism for ensuring parliamentary scrutiny. The White Paper consults on what mechanisms might ensure appropriate parliamentary scrutiny.

Planning Obligations

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to support the development of a landowner and developer tariff for infrastructure delivery in growth areas as an interim measure pending the introduction of the proposed Planning Gain Supplement;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of existing landowner and developer tariff schemes as a means of capturing land value and securing funds for infrastructural development;
	(3)  what definition her Department uses of a landowner and developer tariff for the purposes of infrastructure delivery.

Yvette Cooper: Communities and Local Government does not use a definition for landowner and developer tariffs. In practice landowner and developer tariffs are planning obligations negotiated between the landowner, developer and the local planning authority under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 as amended by section 12 of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991.
	Communities and Local Government has provided support to local planning authorities and local delivery vehicles in the growth areas:
	(i) they have submitted a bid for funding from the Growth Area Fund towards studies underpinning the schemes,
	(ii) our costs contribute to specific infrastructure projects in the Growth Areas which meet our strategic objectives, and;
	(iii) through advice and expertise provided via English Partnerships.
	For example, in Kent Thameside, Communities and Local Government has been working in partnership with Local Planning Authorities, Kent County Council, Highways Agency and Department for Transport to develop a solution enabling local and regional transport infrastructure to support development aspirations.

Planning Policy Commission

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements are in place for taking account of the views of Ministers in the devolved administrations in decisions on the Planning Policy Commission, where those decisions potentially have an impact on Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Yvette Cooper: Chapter 10 of "Planning for a Sustainable Future" (cm 7120) explains that decisions on major energy infrastructure projects in Wales presently made by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry would be transferred to the independent planning commission. Decisions on all other major infrastructure projects would continue to be made within Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
	The commission would consult Welsh Ministers during its consideration of any energy scheme within Wales, including at the decision stage.
	The Government will also work with Scotland and Wales to put in place effective arrangements for any cross border projects which need to be jointly determined by the commission and Scottish or Welsh Ministers.

Planning: Housing Improvements

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations her Department has received from the Federation of Master Builders on the proposals in the Planning White Paper to amend the planning regime for household extensions.

Yvette Cooper: We have received no representations from the Federation on this issue. However officials have arranged to meet the Federation to discuss the Government's consultation proposals.

Rescue Services: Finance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much financial support was made available for urban search and rescue teams in each fire authority area in each financial year for which support was made available.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government (CLG) has provided financial support direct to fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) to assist urban search and rescue (USAR) teams through grants under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003. Details of all these grants are published in Fire Service Circulars. The following table summarises this funding, the amounts provided to individual FRAs and the financial year they were paid.
	Government have also funded over £8.7 million in new USAR training facilities at the Fire Service College to enable USAR teams to undertake generic and specialist training. To date over £6.8 million has been spent on training courses for USAR technicians primarily at the college.
	Other funding, paying for the initial purchase and maintenance of equipment hosted by the USAR teams, has been undertaken collectively with other New Dimension assets and it is not possible to separate out the USAR costs in isolation.
	
		
			  S31 grant funding paid to FRAs in support of USAR teams 
			  £ 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			  Fire authorities  Crewing and training (resource)  Crewing (resource)  PPE  (capital)  Accommodation (capital) 
			 Avon Fire Authority — 306,000 42,469 — 
			 Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority — 306,000 42,469 — 
			 Cheshire Fire Authority 115,900 150,000 — — 
			 Devon Fire Authority 109,800 459,000 42,469 — 
			 Essex Fire Authority 103,700 306,000 42,469 — 
			 Greater London Authority 1,695,800 1,836,000 169,876 — 
			 Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority 146,400 150,000 — — 
			 Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority 128,100 612,000 42,469 — 
			 Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority — 306,000 42,469 — 
			 Kent and Medway Towns Fire Authority 85,400 306,000 42,469 — 
			 Lancashire Combined Fire Authority — 306,000 42,469 — 
			 Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority 103,700 459,000 42,469 — 
			 Lincolnshire County Council 189,100 306,000 42,469 24,535 
			 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority 146,400 612,000 42,469 — 
			 Norfolk County Council — 459,000 42,469 — 
			 Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority 384,300 459,000 42,469 13,804 
			 West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority 109,800 459,000 42,469 — 
			 West Sussex County Council 103,700 150,000 — — 
			 West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority 122,000 459,000 42,469 — 
			 Total 3,544,100 8,406,000 806,911 38,339 
			 Overall total — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			   2006-07 
			  Fire authorities  PPE (resource)  Accommodation (capital)  Timber (resource)  Local training facilities (capital)  Crewing (resource) 
			 Avon Fire Authority 18,753 387,800 10,000 122,100 719,942 
			 Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority 18,753 — 10,000 — 719,942 
			 Cheshire Fire Authority — — — — 75,000 
			 Devon Fire Authority 18,753 321,893 10,000 155,000 359,971 
			 Essex Fire Authority 18,753 316,754 10,000 122,100 719,942 
			 Greater London Authority 75,012 1,050,327 40,000 244,200 2,879,768 
			 Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority — — — — 75,000 
			 Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority 18,753 270,157 10,000 122,100 719,942 
			 Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority 18,753 148,000 10,000 122,100 719,942 
			 Kent and Medway Towns Fire Authority 18,753 310,000 10,000 103,940 719,942 
			 Lancashire Combined Fire Authority 18,753 283,765 10,000 103,940 719,942 
			 Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority 18,753 102,500 10,000 122,100 719,942 
			 Lincolnshire County Council 18,753 — 10,000 103,940 719,942 
			 Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority 18,753 111,310 10,000 103,940 719,942 
			 Norfolk County Council 18,753 191,550 10,000 122,100 539,957 
			 Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority 18,753 — 10,000 103,940 719,942 
			 West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority 18,753 307,227 10,000 122,100 719,942 
			 West Sussex County Council — — 5,000 — 359,971 
			 West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority 18,753 215,000 10,000 122,100 675,526 
			 Total 356,307 4,016,283 195,000 1,895,700 13,604,497 
			 Overall total — — — — 32,863,137 
			  Notes: 1. Crewing Grants were provided to cover the employment costs of crewing the USAR teams. 2. PPE Grants were for the provision and maintenance of personal protective equipment for USAR technicians. 3. Accommodation Grants were given to cover the costs associated with housing USAR equipment at fire stations. 4. The Timber Grant covered the cost of replenishing wood required for shoring. 5. The Local Training Facilities Grant was for the purchase of a training rig to allow USAR teams to undertake maintenance of skills training at their own fire stations.

Rescue Services: Finance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding is available for the provision of urban search and rescue teams; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government (CLG) has already provided fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) with over £32 million in funding under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 to support urban search and rescue (USAR) teams. For a summary of this funding, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today. CLG has also paid over £8.7 million directly to the Fire Service College for the provision of USAR training facilities and over £6.8 million for USAR technicians on training courses.
	We would expect to announce funding to support USAR teams in financial year 2007-08 around half way through the year, after discussion with the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) and the Local Government Association (LGA).

Second Homes

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the use of receipts from the local taxation of second homes.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 15 June 2007
	 Communities and Local Government does not hold a record of representations received about the use of receipts from the local taxation of second homes. Since 1 April 2004, billing authorities have had the freedom to reduce the council tax discount on second homes from 50 per cent. to 10 per cent. In 2005-06 authorities raised an additional £92 million from the reduced second homes discount. The use of that revenue is a matter for individual authorities to decide in light of local priorities.

Tenants: Antisocial Behaviour

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers are available to  (a) local authorities,  (b) the police and  (c) other agencies to evict tenants causing antisocial behaviour when the landlord refuses to co-operate.

Yvette Cooper: Where the property is let by a private sector landlord there are provisions in the Housing Act 2004 that enable local authorities to make a special interim management order.
	Powers are available to the police, through an order of the court, to enable the temporary closure of properties taken over by drug dealers and users of class A drugs, which cause disorder or serious nuisance to the local community. These orders are called crack house closure orders.
	In addition, both antisocial behaviour orders (available to range of agencies including the police and local authorities) and antisocial behaviour injunctions (available to social landlords) can carry powers to exclude persons from their place of residence for a specified period under certain circumstances.

Travelling People: Planning Permission

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to require all local planning authorities to report biannually to her Department on  (a) the details of all applications for planning permission for Gypsy and Traveller sites,  (b) the outcome of those applications,  (c) details of planning appeals and enforcement appeals and  (d) the outcomes of appeals.

Meg Munn: From October 2007 local planning authorities will be required to provide information on the number of planning applications for Gypsy and Traveller sites and their outcome as part of their PS1 and PS2 (planning statistics) returns. This information is published on a quarterly basis. Details of planning and enforcement appeals and their outcomes are maintained by the Planning Inspectorate.

Travelling People: Planning Permission

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to  (a) monitor and  (b) publish the details of progress by local planning authorities in fulfilling, through pitch allocation and site provision, the needs identified by Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessments.

Meg Munn: Local authorities must allocate sufficient sites for Gypsies and Travellers in site allocation development plan documents. Section 35 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act requires every local authority to make an annual report to the Secretary of State containing information on the implementation of the local development scheme, which includes development plan documents, and the extent to which policies set out in local development documents are being achieved.

Travelling People: Regional Planning and Development

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has given to local planning authorities on the provision of Gypsy and Traveller sites ahead of the adoption of regional spatial strategies.

Meg Munn: Advice to local planning authorities on the provision of Gypsy and Traveller sites is provided in ODPM Circular 01/2006 "Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites". The circular advises that where there is a clear and immediate need, local authorities should bring forward development plan documents containing site allocations in advance of any regional consideration of pitch numbers, in a regional spatial strategy.

Waste Disposal: Planning Permission

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many civic amenity sites have had to amend planning permission as a result of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive; and what the estimated cost was of such amendments.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally.

Waste Management

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what research her Department and its agencies has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated into the operation of joint waste authorities;
	(2)  what research the Audit Commission has conducted into the merits of  (a) joint waste authorities and  (b) alternate weekly collections of household rubbish;
	(3)  what research  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has conducted into joint waste authorities.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	No research has been commissioned or evaluated by my Department, or its agencies, specifically relating to joint waste authorities (JWA). I am not aware of any similar research undertaken by the Audit Commission on JWAs or on alternate weekly collection.
	However, AEA Technology has carried out work on DEFRA's behalf to examine potential economies of scale in waste management and barriers to achieving them. This highlighted the importance of authorities sharing waste disposal facilities if we are to meet our environmental objectives. The final report, "Economies of scale: waste management optimisation study", is available from DEFRA's website. This gives examples of a number of joint working models that could be used by local authorities, including JWAs.
	In addition, a report on 'Joint working on wastes management', published by the Innovation Forum, highlights the benefits of joint working in two tier areas, citing possible efficiency savings of around £150 million nationally. The report identified the limited legal basis for joint working as one of the key barriers to joint working on waste. In response to this report, the Government have introduced clauses in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill to allow the establishment of JWAs to enable local authorities to put their waste partnerships on a statutory basis if they wish to do so.
	The Audit Commission has published a number of guidance documents containing advice to local councils on how they can meet their statutory requirements with regards to waste by improving their waste management and adopting best practice. The Audit Commission also examines the performance of councils and the services they provide, including waste, through the Comprehensive Performance Assessment, and provides recommendations for improvement.

Waste Management

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what incentives will be provided to local authorities to join joint waste authorities.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are not proposing to provide specific incentives to local authorities to create joint waste authorities (JWAs).
	The new powers and freedoms, announced earlier this year as part of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, were requested by local authorities and will allow authorities that wish to put joint working on a statutory footing to create stronger partnerships in delivering their waste services.
	Joint working between local authorities is becoming increasingly important as a means of delivering quality services to residents and meeting the UK's environmental objectives. Joint working is particularly important in two-tier areas, where responsibilities for waste collection and waste disposal are split between different authorities. Partnership working and integrating collection and disposal services also have the potential to generate efficiency savings.
	We will consider whether there is a case for making some funding available to help local authorities to set up the first JWA.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Bereavement Benefits: Eligibility

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will commission a study to find out how many people are eligible for bereavement benefits.

James Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions is keen to ensure that people claim their full entitlement to state benefits. The Bereavement Benefit Scheme is well known and has been in operation for some time with a high public profile. We are, therefore, confident that the Department's publicity of the scheme is sufficient to alert individuals who have been bereaved.
	For this reason we do not believe that the proposed study is necessary.

National Insurance Contributions: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of people in contracted-out defined benefit schemes in each year from 2001-02 to 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Membership of contracted-out defined benefit schemes 
			  Tax year  Estimates of number of people contracted out (million) 
			 2001-02 7.7 
			 2002-03 7.6 
			 2003-04 7.6 
			 2004-05 7.6 
			 2005-06 7.6 
			 2006-07 7.6 
			 2007-08 7.5 
			 2008-09 7.5 
			 2009-10 7.4 
			 2010-11 7.3 
			 2011-12 7.2 
			 2012-13 7.1 
			 2013-14 7.0 
			 2014-15 6.9 
			 2015-16 6.8 
			  Notes:  (i) Source: Actual figures from Second Tier Pension Provision Statistics for 2001-02 2003-04 and then estimates. (ii) Figures are for UK.

National Insurance Contributions: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the cost of contracted-out rebates for  (a) defined benefit and  (b) defined contribution pension schemes in each year from 1997 to 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Estimated cost of contracted out rebates 
			  £ billion 
			  Tax year  Defined Benefit  Defined Contribution 
			 1997-98 4.9 2.8 
			 1998-99 5.1 2.8 
			 1999-2000 5.2 3.1 
			 2000-01 5.5 3.3 
			 2001-02 5.7 3.4 
			 2002-03 6.5 4.1 
			 2003-04 6.7 3.7 
			 2004-05 6.7 3.2 
			 2005-06 7.0 2.9 
			 2006-07 7.3 2.7 
			 2007-08 7.8 1.9 
			  Notes:  1. Rebate expenditure is estimated in all years.  2. Figures are for UK and expressed in cash terms.

National Insurance Contributions: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the average pension value for individuals in defined benefit schemes of the contracted out rebates for each year from 2007-08 to 2050-51.

James Purnell: Due to the way the funding of contracted-out defined benefit schemes works, the value of the rebate does not necessarily equate to a pension value. The information requested is not, therefore, available.

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice he has received about the prospects for removing legal obstacles to the use of automatic enrolment in group personal pensions and group stakeholder pensions.

James Purnell: European law prohibits inertia selling of financial products, including personal pensions. This means that it is not possible to automatically enrol individuals into workplace personal pension arrangements, such as group personal pensions and group stakeholder pensions.
	The DWP is consulting on how best to ensure that such arrangements can continue in the run-up to 2012 and beyond, when our reforms to the UK private pensions system come into effect. DWP officials continue to work closely with industry representatives to understand the issues involved and to devise pragmatic solutions.
	Inertia selling is the provision of unsolicited services with a demand for payment.

Pensioner Poverty

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate  (a) how many pensioners were living in deep poverty, defined as a household income below 40 per cent. of median household earnings and  (b) how many such pensioners were not claiming the full pension credit or minimum income guarantee they were entitled to in each year since 1997-98.

James Purnell: pursuant to the reply, 29 March 2007, Official Report, c. 1721-24W
	The most common and internationally recognised threshold to measure poverty is income below 60 per cent. of median. We do not present information covering 40 per cent. of median income in our Households Below Average Income series as it is not a good measure of poverty. This is because households stating the lowest incomes to the Family Resources Survey (FRS) may not actually have the lowest living standards. Many people who report very low incomes appear to have high spending. Hence any statistics on numbers in this group may be misleading.
	Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2005-06" (HBAI). This annual report, which is a National Statistics publication, includes the numbers and proportions of individuals, children, working age adults and pensioners with incomes below 50 per cent., 60 per cent. and 70 per cent. of median income, and the proportions in persistent poverty.
	Pension credit has been highly successful in reducing pensioner poverty; since its introduction, the number of pensioners in relative poverty has fallen by over 700,000. Now, for the first time in a period of sustained economic growth, pensioners are less likely to be in poverty than the population as a whole, after housing costs are accounted for.
	We continue to make every effort to ensure that pension credit goes to those who are entitled to it. It is more challenging to reach those entitled to smaller amounts, or to the savings credit only, who may be less familiar with the entitlements available to them. The Pension Service has contacted pensioners to encourage them to take up entitlement to pension credit many times already as part of extensive marketing activity. Over 70 per cent. of those pensioners who appear to have entitlement to pension credit have been contacted over five times already. And around 25 per cent. of customers visited about pension credit say that they do not want to make a claim.
	However, we are committed to improving take-up and are continually looking at further ways to target these groups and encouraging them to apply.
	The information requested for pensioners in Great Britain is shown in the following tables. Estimates of entitled non-recipients of MIG or pension credit should be treated with caution. This is especially the case given that we are looking at the extreme of the income distribution and so are less sure of pensioners' modelled entitlement. Results are based on small sample sizes and have not been corrected for biases that may be inherent in estimates of entitlement to income related benefits—that is, they may be based on the data for those who appear to be entitled non-recipients but will not all actually be entitled non recipients and vice versa. Figures are therefore presented as proportions of the total pensioner population below the 40 per cent. of median household income.
	
		
			  Table 1 : Number of pensioners living in households with less than 40 per cent. of contemporary median household income, and as a proportion of all pensioners, for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06, Great Britain 
			   After housing costs  (million)  As a proportion of all pensioners  (percentage) 
			 1997-98 0.47 5 
			 1998-99 0.49 5 
			 1999-2000 0.49 5 
			 2000-01 0.46 5 
			 2001-02 0.51 5 
			 2002-03 0.47 5 
			 2003-04 0.51 5 
			 2004-05 0.45 4 
			 2005-06 0.46 4 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are presented after housing costs as this is our preferred measure for pensioners. 2. The table shows number of individuals in millions, rounded to the nearest 10 thousand. 3. These figures are not National Statistics and caution must be applied because those people stating the lowest incomes in the FRS may not actually have the lowest living standards. 4. Estimates cover the private household population of Great Britain. The data source is the Family Resources Survey. 5. These figures are calculated using OECD equivalisation factors. Prior to 2002-03 they are based on a GB median and from 2002-03 it is based on a UK median. This is consistent with low income estimates published in the latest edition of Households Below Average Income. The GB median is similar to the UK median. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of pensioners living in households with income below 40 per cent. of contemporary median household income who were also living in a benefit unit that is entitled but not receiving IS/MIG/PC, Great Britain 
			Percentage 
			   After housing costs  As a proportion of all pensioners 
			 1997-98 36 2 
			 1998-99 35 2 
			 1999-2000 42 2 
			 2000-01 45 2 
			 2001-02 57 3 
			 2002-03 55 3 
			 2003-04 50 2 
			 2004-05 64 3 
			 2005-06 60 3 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are presented after housing costs as this is our preferred measure for pensioners. 2. Estimates of the pensioner population cover those above state pension age (60 for women and 65 for men). The estimates therefore exclude some men aged 60 to 64 and partners of pensioners aged under 60, who may have been eligible but not claiming pension credit. 3. Estimates also exclude those cases where respondents have reported they are awaiting the outcome of a claim for a benefit and have been modelled as entitled to that benefit. 4. Estimates cover the private household population of Great Britain. The data source is the Family Resources Survey. 5. These figures are calculated using OECD equivalisation factors. Prior to 2002-03 they are based on a GB median and from 2002-03 it is based on a UK median. This is consistent with low income estimates published in the latest edition of Households Below Average Income. The GB median is similar to the UK median. 6. Minimum income guarantee (MIG) was introduced for pensioners in April 1999 paid through income support. 7. Pension credit (PC) was introduced mid-way through 2003-04; therefore, estimates for 2003-04 cover those pensioners who were entitled but not receiving either MIG or PC. As this relates to the first six months of pension credit the figures should be treated with some caution. 8. For the purposes of this analysis, benefit unit based data (take-up statistics) were combined with household equivalised income based results (Households Below Average Income statistics). 9. Estimates for 2000-01 and 2003-04 onwards incorporate the results of a data matching exercise, which links the Family Resources Survey with DWP administrative data in order to identify 'hidden recipients' of MIG-PC, i.e. those people who tell the FRS they do not receive pension credit, but actually do. 10. Estimates are presented as proportions of the total pensioner population below the 40 per cent. of median household income, as the analysis is based on single-year survey data and the absolute numbers of such pensioners who were not claiming the pension credit or minimum income guarantee they were entitled to might be biased due to small sample sizes. 11. These analyses have not been corrected for the biases that may be inherent in estimates of entitlement to income-related benefits—that is, they may be based on the data for those who appear to be entitled non recipients (ENRs) but will not all actually be ENRs and vice versa—and so they should be treated with some caution. 12.The estimates relate only to those who were modelled as entitled to receive benefit but were not identified to be in receipt of any amount of benefit. It therefore does not include cases where a pensioner is in receipt of some benefit, but this is less than the amount they are truly entitled to. Including these cases may not give a reliable indication of full take-up due to the potential error that exists in modelling entitlement.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many defined benefit schemes reduced the cap on indexation of pensions in payment from 5 per cent. to 2.5 per cent. for accruals from April 2005; and how many active members there are in aggregate in these schemes.

James Purnell: The information is not currently available. Information on the indexation of pensions in payment after April 2005 was requested in the Office for National Statistics' 2006 Survey of Occupational Pension Schemes, work on which is continuing.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will break down the figures in table 7.12 of the Family Resources survey to show the proportion of working age private sector employees with pension provision in 2005-06; and what the comparable figures were for each year since 1996-97.

James Purnell: This information is not available.
	The Family Resources Survey does not collect information about employment sector. Employees are asked to identify the main activity at the place where they work but these broad industry classifications are not robust enough to provide an accurate breakdown of public and private sector employment.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of  (a) schemes and  (b) members included in the sample of defined benefit schemes analysed in the Purple Book were in the public sector;
	(2)  if he will publish the figures which form the basis of chart 3.11 of the Purple Book indicating how many defined benefit schemes in the sample closed in each year since 1995.

James Purnell: This is not a matter for the Secretary of State.
	The Purple Book was a joint study by the Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund (PPF). The statistics were generated through analysis of information collected by the Pensions Regulator from pension scheme returns. Some of this information was further processed by the PPF in collaboration with the Government Actuaries' Department so that valuation information was as at a common date.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the figures illustrated by the graph in figure 8 of Security in retirement: towards a new pension system.

James Purnell: The following table gives the updated numbers from Figure 8 of Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system. Since the White Paper these numbers have been updated to 2007-08 earnings terms and include state second pension simplification policy.
	
		
			  Income for a median earner retiring in 2050-53 (current system/reform) 
			  (£) 
			   Basic state pension  State second pension  Pension credit  Private pension  Total 
			 Reform with saving 81 71 0 86 237 
			 without saving 81 71 0 0 151 
			 Current with saving 36 73 38 37 184 
			 without saving 36 73 53 0 162 
			  Notes:  In 2007-08 earnings terms, income shown before tax. Assumes a median earner works from age 25 to SPA, retiring in 2050 at age 65 under the current system and at age 68 in 2053 under reform. Under the current system it is assumed that saving is five per cent of salary between the Primary Threshold and the UEL into a stakeholder pension, with a 1.5 per cent. annual management charge. This is equivalent to employee-only contribution rate into the new personal accounts. After reform it is assumed that saving is 8 per cent. of salary between the primary threshold and the UEL into a personal account (which includes 3 per cent contribution, and has 0.5 per cent. annual management charge). Amounts may not sum due to rounding.   Source:  DWP modelling

Pensions: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to review the level of contracted out rebates for pension schemes from 1 April 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to revise the level of contracted-out national insurance rebates for  (a) April 2008 and  (b) April 2012; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans he has to review the levels of the contracted-out rebates for pensions; what plans the Government has to make further changes from April 2008; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: There is a legal requirement to review the level of contracted-out rebate rates at least every five years—the next review is due to set rates from 2012 to 2017. However, the Secretary of State can, if he considers it necessary or appropriate, review rebate rates more frequently.
	The Government have considered the timing of the next review, taking account of both the current fiscal circumstances and of the pension reforms being introduced in the Pensions Bill. As a result, we do not believe it is necessary to review the rebate rates in the short term. However we will continue to monitor the impact on contracting out of the various pensions reforms, in particular the decision to abolish contracting out for defined contribution schemes. These factors will be taken into account when considering the timing of future reviews.

Personal Savings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assumption has been made on the annual uprating of the contribution limit for personal accounts in the stochastic modelling described on pages 113 and 114 of the Regulatory Impact Assessment to Personal Accounts: A New Way to Save.

James Purnell: To estimate the impact of the personal accounts contribution limit on individuals' pension income it was assumed that the limit would be uprated in line with average earnings.

Personal Savings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to what year the figures in table 5.2 of the Regulatory Impact Assessment to Personal Accounts: A New Way to Save pertain.

James Purnell: The figures in table 5.2 refer to the financial year 2003-04. It was erroneously labelled as being data from 2005-06. The correct title of the table should be "Personal and stakeholder pensions: average contribution by status and earned income in 2003-04. The full table and notes can be found at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/7-10-200405.xls

Personal Savings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the average contributions to personal and stakeholder pensions detailed in table 5.2 of the Regulatory Impact Assessment to Personal Accounts: A New Way to Save include contracted-out rebates.

James Purnell: Table 5.2 is replicated from HMRC Pensions Table 7.10 which can be found at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/7-10-200405.xls .
	Footnote 5 states that these contributions include minimum contributions, which is another name for contracted-out rebates.

State Retirement Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 2004W, on pensions, how much state pension and savings credit would be received by a median earner working continuously from the age of 25, reaching the age of 68 in 2053, and saving in line with the assumptions in figure 8 of security in retirement: towards a new pension system  (a) with pension reform and  (b) without pension reform but with collection of state pension deferred until the individual turns 68.

James Purnell: Under reform a median earner who works from age 25 reaching state pension age at 68 in 2053 and saves in line with the assumptions set out in "Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system" could expect to receive around £152 a week in state pension. They would not receive any savings credit but could expect to receive around £86 a week in private pension income. In total they would receive around £237 a week under reform.
	Without reform a median earner who worked and saved in the same way reaching state pension age at 65 in 2050 and then deferred their state pension for a further three years until they reached 68 could expect to receive around £143 a week in state pension. They could also expect to receive around £17 a week in savings credit and around £37 a week in private pension income. In total they would receive around £197 a week under the current system.
	 Notes:
	1. In 2007-08 earnings terms, income shown before tax.
	Assumes a median earner works from age 25 to SPA, retiring in 2050 at age 65 and deferring until the age of 68 under the current system and retiring in 2053 at age 68 under reform.
	2. Under the current system it is assumed that saving is 5 per cent. of salary between the primary threshold and the upper earnings limit (UEL) into a stakeholder pension, with a 1.5 per cent. annual management charge. This is equivalent to employee-only contribution rate into the new personal accounts.
	3. After reform it is assumed that saving is 8 per cent. of salary between the primary threshold and the UEL into a personal account (which includes 3 per cent. contribution, and has 0.5 per cent. annual management charge). Amounts may not sum due to rounding.
	 Source:
	DWP modelling.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings

David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many grievance procedures have been initiated in his Department in the last 12 months.

John Prescott: None.

Departments: Internet

Theresa May: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 354W, on Departments: internet, what the cost was of  (a) establishing and  (b) maintaining the websites for which he is responsible.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Hilary Armstrong) on 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1624W.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much has been spent by his Department on legal fees since its establishment;
	(2)  how much has been spent by his Department on public relations since its establishment;
	(3)  which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations have supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for his Department since it was established; and what the cost of these services was;
	(4)  how much has been spent on advertising by his Department since its establishment.

Mark Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department and its agencies paid in travel agencies' fees in each year since 1997.

Mark Francois: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department has paid to recruitment consultants since its establishment.

John Prescott: Expenditure will be accounted for in the departmental resource accounts in the usual way.

Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of his Department's special advisers were on  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid leave in order to assist with party political matters under section 22 (iii) of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers on 16 May; and how many days' leave each adviser was granted.

John Prescott: Special advisers' involvement in party political matters is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, including section 22 (iii), and the guidance issued by the Cabinet Secretary in December 2006 and May 2007, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what properties his Department has  (a) owned and  (b) rented since its establishment;
	(2)  what recent estimate has been made of the value of his Department's property portfolio;
	(3)  what the cost of leasing buildings and office space has been for his Department since it was established.

John Prescott: Since its creation on 5 May 2006, my Office has been based in 26 Whitehall. This is a Cabinet Office building and I refer the hon. Member to the statement given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Hilary Armstrong) on 20 February 2007,  Official Report, column 12WS.

Departments: Training

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department has spent on  (a) anti-bullying training and  (b) diversity awareness training since its creation.

John Prescott: Staff in my Department are seconded from Communities and Local Government and take part in that Department's diversity and respect training in the same way as other members of staff.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 568W, on abortion, on what date the Annual Abortion Statistics 2006 will be published; if she will place copies in the Vote Office; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: "The Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2006" will be published on 19 June 2007. Copies will be placed in the Vote Office and the Library.

Acute Beds

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of acute beds required in  (a) one year,  (b) two years and  (c) five years time; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Decisions on the number of acute beds required are made locally.

Aerials: Health Hazards

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies her Department has carried out into the health effects of mobile telephone masts since March 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Stewart Report in 2000 comprehensively reviewed the scientific literature and concluded that
	'the balance of evidence to date suggests that exposures below international guidelines do not cause health effects to the general population'.
	However, the report also recommended further research as part of an overall precautionary approach to the use of mobile phone technology pending the availability of more robust scientific research results. Further information is available at
	www.iegmp.org.uk.
	The independently managed Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR) programme, jointly funded by Government and industry, was set up in 2001 in response to the Stewart Report recommendations. It is currently supporting a number of studies into the possible health effects of technology relating to mobile telephones and masts. A description of all the individual studies can be found on the MTHR website at www.mthr.org.uk. Individual studies under the MTHR programme relating directly to base stations include:
	1. A measurement study on microcell and picocell base stations carried out at the Health Protection Agency, and published in the  Journal of Radiological Protection (Cooper etal. J. Radiol. Prot. 2006 Vol. 26, 199-211).
	2. A study of cancer incidence in early childhood near mobile phone base stations being carried out at Imperial College London. This study started in April 2003 and is ongoing.
	3. A study of symptoms associated with radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure carried out at the University of Essex. This study was completed at the end of 2006 and publication is expected in the near future.
	4. A study of electrical hypersensitivity in relation to exposures typical of those from terrestrial enhanced trunked radio base stations started in January 2007 at the University of Essex. As this study has recently started, it will be some considerable time before results are published.

Ambulance Services: Pay

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial rewards for performance ambulance services were eligible for in the financial years  (a) 1991-92 to 1997-98 and  (b) 1998-99 to 2006-07; and what financial rewards for performance ambulance services will be eligible for in the financial years 2007-08 to 2010-11.

Andy Burnham: Information is not available in a single central place in the format required, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Such information as is available is as follows:
	From 2001-02 to 2003-04, national health service trusts that received three stars in the NHS performance ratings received a capital allocation of up to £1 million to support service development. Ambulance trusts received a rating for their performance across a range of areas, including ambulance response times.
	The Department launched two capital incentive schemes to reward NHS ambulance trusts for marked performance improvement against the Category A 8-minute standard, one for 2004, the other for 2006-07.
	No future financial rewards for ambulance trust performance have been considered by the Department for 2007-08 to 2010-11.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to make sutent available in England for the treatment of cancer.

Rosie Winterton: Sunitinib (sutent) is licensed for use in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumours.
	The Department is currently considering referring Sunitinib for renal cell carcinoma to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for appraisal.
	In the meantime, it is for local primary care trusts to decide whether to make Sunitinib available to patients. In doing so, they need to take into account the available evidence. It is not acceptable for national health service organisations to refuse to fund a treatment simply because it has not been appraised by NICE.

Community Care: Expenditure

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the annual expenditure on home care services was per care recipient of each local authority in England with social services responsibilities in 2006-07;
	(2)  what average annual charge was paid to each local authority in England with social services responsibilities by home care services users that contribute towards the cost of their care in 2006-07.

Ivan Lewis: Information for the financial year 2006-07 is being collected and is due to be published in February 2008.
	Table one shows the annual expenditure on home care services for each local authority for 2005-06.
	Table two shows the actual income recouped via sales, fees and charges to clients receiving home care services funded fully or in part by councils with social services responsibilities for each local authority for 2005-06. Both tables have been placed in the Library.
	Information is collected only on the total number of people receiving services. Data on the number of those who are contributing to the funding of their care are not collected separately and so the average annual charge requested cannot be calculated.

Community Development: Essex

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what factors the North Essex Primary Care Trust took into account in deciding to fund a community development worker to liaise with Colchester and Tendring Black and Minority Ethnic Partnership; and how much she expects to be spent on the worker;
	(2)  what guidelines her Department has issued on the appointment of community development workers by primary care trusts (PCTs); what account a PCT is expected to take of the financial position of its other mental health provision in making a decision on whether to appoint a person to such a post; and what discussions her Department has had with North East Essex Primary Care Trust on its recent decision to appoint such a worker.

Rosie Winterton: This is a local matter. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure that the services they commission meet the needs of the communities that they serve.
	The PCTs decision to appoint a community development worker (CDW) is in accordance with the 2007-08 operating framework for the national health service that states that PCTs are expected to recruit 500 CDWs nationally by December 2007. The appointment of CDWs is a leading priority for mental health services and the Department has supported recruitment with £16 million per annum in PCTs' baseline financial allocations.
	There have been no discussions with North East Essex PCT on the subject.

Community Hospitals: Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the communities hospitals fund budget has been allocated to projects in 2007-08; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: 25 schemes were submitted in wave two. We approved and announced details of 10 schemes, including two that were carried forward from wave one, on the 11 April 2007.
	This funding was allocated in 2007. To date, £49.976 million of the communities fund budget has been allocated to community hospitals projects in 2007-08.
	The schemes announced on the 11 April are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Strategic Health Authority  Primary care trust  Amount awarded  (£ million) 
			 South Central Southampton City PCT (Royal South Hampshire hospital) 6.079 
			 East of England Suffolk PCT (Felixstowe Community hospitals) 1.76 
			 London Barking and Dagenham PCT (Barking Hospital) 5 
			 London Richmond and Twickenham PCT (New health and social care centre—Teddington Memorial hospital) 3.98 
			 London Haringey PCT (Hornsey Central hospital) 1.658 
			 Yorkshire and Humber Calderdale Kirklees PCT (Redevelopment of Sites, Huddersfield) 13.79 
			 Yorkshire and Humber Rotherham PCT (Primary care centre, Rotherham) 0.96 
			 East Midlands Nottinghamshire County PCT (Redevelopment of Ashfield hospital) 1.149 
			 South West Bristol PCT (South Bristol community hospital) 3.9 
			 South East Coast Hastings and Rother PCT (Station Plaza Primary Health Centre) 11.7 
			  Total 49.976

Dental Services

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of  (a) adults and  (b) children are registered for NHS dentistry in (i) Milton Keynes, (ii) the south east and  (c) England.

Rosie Winterton: Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a dental practice to receive national health service care and treatment.
	The closest equivalent measure to registration is the numbers of patients receiving NHS primary dental services (patients seen) in a given area over a 24-month period, expressed as a percentage of the estimated population for that area. Numbers and proportions of adult and child patients seen in the 24-month periods ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006 in England, NHS south central and Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust, are available in Section F2 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England Q3: 31 December 2006 report. Copies are available in the Library and at
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-statistics-for-england-q3:-31-december-2006.
	Data for the 24-month period ending March 2007 will be published on 19 June 2007.

Dental Services: Barnsley

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis the allocation of funding for orthodontic services for Barnsley for 2006-07 was calculated.

Rosie Winterton: The primary dental service resource allocations awarded to primary care trusts for 2006-07 took into account expenditure on general dental services and personal dental services pilots in each area during the reference period October 2004 to September 2005. This captured payments for both general dental services and specialist services such as orthodontic services. The allocations also included adjustments to reflect nationally agreed increases in dentists' remuneration, provision for growth plans previously submitted to and approved by the Department, and some margin to accommodate any new services that may have started during or after the reference period but could not be fully reflected in the calculation of reference period earnings.

Dental Services: North Eastern Region

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total value of orthodontic treatment was carried out during the reference period of  (a) October 2004 and  (b) October 2005 in (i) Barnsley, (ii) Doncaster, (iii) Rotherham and (iv) St. Helens.

Rosie Winterton: The reference period used in calculating funding levels for the new primary dental service arrangements was 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005. The following table sets out the total payments during that period for courses of treatment which included orthodontic care. The Department does not have data on the value of treatments carried out during the reference period but submitted for payment later.
	
		
			  Primary care trust name  Orthodontic earnings 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005  (£) 
			 Doncaster, Central 895,608.83 
			 Doncaster, East 109,620.51 
			 Doncaster, West 137,177.76 
			 Rotherham 80,205.19 
			 St. Helens 59,398.90 
			 Barnsley 207,375.93 
			  Notes: 1. The data relate to claims from dentists working under the terms of the former general dental services (GDS) only. They exclude orthodontic work carried out within former personal dental service (PDS) pilots, where the value of orthodontic as opposed to general dental treatments can be less easily identified. The Department is aware of at least two specialist orthodontic practices, in Doncaster Central and Rotherham, which converted to personal dental service pilots either before or during the reference period, which would mean the GDS data above are not fully representative of all elements of orthodontic care. 2. The data are presented by the primary care trust (PCT) areas that were operational during the reference period, rather than the new PCTs that assumed responsibility for services from 1 October 2006.  Source:  Dental Practice Division of the NHS Business Services Authority

Departments: Carbon Emissions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methodology is used by her Department to account for its carbon emissions.

Ivan Lewis: The Department collects energy consumption data from its buildings. We also collect data on official air travel, taxi use and the use of personal vehicles for business purposes. These data will be used to calculate our total carbon emissions, using Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs guidance.

Departments: Epilepsy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with epilepsy are employed by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department holds records of those staff who have declared a disability. However, this is not broken down by reason, therefore epilepsy cannot be separately identified. When staff are absent from work due to an epileptic episode, this is recorded on the Department's sickness absence database as a neurological condition and not specific to epilepsy.

Departments: Newspaper Press

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which regional newspapers are regularly monitored by her Department.

Ivan Lewis: The Department commissions regional press cuttings using a press cuttings agency and Government News Network. The following regional newspapers are read by the agency and News Network on the Department's behalf:
	 Accrington Observer
	 Alcester Chronicle
	 Arden Observer
	 Barking and Dagenham Post
	 Barking Express and Post
	 Barnet Free Press
	 Barnet Times
	 Barnoldswick and Earby Times
	 Barnsley Star
	 Basildon Evening Echo
	 Bath Chronicle
	 Berrows Worcester Journal
	 Berwick Advertiser
	 Bexley Shopper
	 Bexley Times
	 Birmingham Evening Mail
	 Birmingham News
	 Birmingham Post
	 Blackpool Evening Gazette
	 Bolton Evening News
	 Bootle Times
	 Borehamwood Times
	 Bradford Telegraph and Argus
	 Brighton Argus
	 Bristol Evening Post
	 Bromley and Beckenham Times
	 Bromley Shopper
	 Bromsgrove Advertiser
	 Bromsgrove Standard
	 Burnley Express
	 Burntwood Mercury
	 Burntwood Post
	 Burton and South Derbyshire Advertiser
	 Burton Mail
	 Burton Trader
	 Bury Times and Journal
	 Cambridge Evening News
	 Camden Gazette
	 Camden New Journal
	 Cannock and Rugeley Chronicle
	 Cannock Chase Mercury
	 Cannock Chase Post
	 Carlisle News and Star
	 Chester Chronicle
	 Chester Evening Leader
	 Chorley Citizen
	 Clitheroe Advertiser
	 Colchester Evening Gazette
	 Congleton Guardian
	 Cotswold Journal
	 Coventry Evening Telegraph
	 Coventry Observer
	 Coventry Times
	 Craven Herald
	 Crewe Guardian
	 Crosby Herald
	 Croydon Advertiser
	 Croydon Guardian
	 Cumberland News
	 Daily Echo (Bournemouth)
	 Derby Evening Telegraph
	 Doncaster Star
	 Dorset Echo
	 Dudley Chronicle
	 Dudley News
	 Ealing and Acton Gazette
	 Eating and Acton Times
	 East Anglian Daily Times
	 East London Advertiser
	 Eastern Daily Press (East)
	 Eastern Daily Press (West)
	 Ellesmere Port Pioneer
	 Enfield Independent
	 Evening Argus (Brighton)
	 Evening Chronicle
	 Evening Herald (Plymouth)
	 Evening Post (Bristol)
	 Evening Press (York)
	 Evesham Journal
	 Exeter Express and Echo
	 Express and Echo (Exeter)
	 Express and Star (Dudley)
	 Formby Times
	 Garstang Courier
	 Gloucester Citizen
	 Gloucestershire Echo
	 Great Barr and Erdington Chronicle
	 Great Barr Observer
	 Grimsby Telegraph
	 Hackney Gazette
	 Halesowen News
	 Halifax Evening Courier
	 Hampstead and Highgate Express
	 Harrow Observer
	 Harrow Times
	 Hartlepool Mail
	 Hendon and Finchley Times
	 Hereford Journal
	 Hereford Times
	 Hexham Courant
	 Heywood Advertiser
	 Hillingdon Times
	 Hornsey Journal
	 Hounslow Guardian
	 Huddersfield Daily Examiner
	 Hull Daily Mail
	 Ilford Post
	 Ilford Recorder
	 Ipswich Evening Star
	 Islington Gazette
	 Islington Tribune
	 Kenilworth Weekly News
	 Kent Messenger
	 Kettering Evening Telegraph
	 Kidderminster Chronicle
	 Kilburn Times
	 Kingston Guardian
	 Knutsford Guardian
	 Lancashire Evening Post
	 Lancashire Evening Telegraph
	 Lancaster Citizen
	 Lancaster Guardian
	 Leamington Spa Courier
	 Leamington Spa Observer
	 Leek Post and Times
	 Leicester Mercury
	 Leigh Journal
	 Leigh Reporter
	 Leominster Journal
	 Lewisham and Greenwich Shopper
	 Lewisham Mercury
	 Lichfield Post
	 Lincolnshire Echo
	 Liverpool Daily Post
	 Liverpool Echo
	 Liverpool Echo
	 Lytham Express
	 Macclesfield Express
	 Malvern Gazette
	 Manchester Evening Gazette
	 Manchester Evening News
	 Marylebone Express
	 Mid-Cheshire Chronicles
	 Middlesbrough Evening Gazette
	 Middleton Guardian
	 Morecambe Visitor
	 Morpeth Herald
	 Muswell Hill Journal
	 Nantwich Guardian
	 Nelson Citizen
	 Nelson Leader
	 Newcastle Evening Chronicle
	 Newham Recorder
	 Newport Advertiser
	 Newton Guardian
	 North East Manchester Advertiser
	 Northampton Chronicle
	 Northants Chronicle and Echo
	 Northants Evening Telegraph
	 Northern Echo
	 Northumberland Gazette
	 Northwest Evening Mail (Barrow)
	 Norwich Evening News
	 Nottingham Evening Post
	 Nuneaton Tribune
	 Oldham Advertiser
	 Oldham Evening Chronicle
	 Oxford Mail
	 Peterborough Evening Telegraph
	 Plymouth Herald
	 Portsmouth News
	 Preston Citizen
	 Reading Evening Post
	 Redditch Advertiser
	 Redditch Standard
	 Richmond and Twickenham Times
	 Rochdale Observer
	 Romford Recorder
	 Rossendale Free Press
	 Rotherham Star
	 Rugby Advertiser
	 Rugby Observer
	 Runcorn and Widnes World
	 Salford Advertiser
	 Sandwell Chronicle
	 Scarborough Evening News
	 Scunthorpe Telegraph
	 Sheffield Star
	 Shrewsbury Chronicle
	 Shropshire Star
	 Solihull News
	 Solihull Times
	 South Cheshire Chronicle
	 South London Guardian
	 South London Press
	 South Manchester Reporter
	 South Shields Gazette
	 South Shropshire Journal
	 Southend Evening Echo
	 Southern Daily Echo
	 St. Helens Reporter
	 St. Helens Star
	 Stafford and Stone Chronicle
	 Stafford Post
	 Stockport Express
	 Stoke Sentinel
	 Stourbridge Chronicle
	 Stourbridge News
	 Stratford and Newham Express
	 Stratford Herald
	 Stratford Observer
	 Streatham Guardian
	 Stretford and Urmston messenger
	 Sunday Sentinel Skelmersdale Advertiser
	 Sunderland Echo
	 Sutton Coldfield News
	 Sutton Coldfield Observer
	 Sutton Guardian
	 Swindon Evening Advertiser
	 Tamworth Herald
	 Tamworth Leader
	 Tamworth Times
	 Telford Journal
	 Tenbury Wells Advertiser
	 The Chiswick
	 The Citizen (Gloucester)
	 The Journal (Newcastle)
	 The News (Portsmouth)
	 The Shuttle
	 The Wharf
	 Tottenham Journal
	 Tower Hamlets Recorder
	 Uttoxeter Advertiser
	 Walsall Advertiser
	 Walsall Observer
	 Waltham Forrest Guardian
	 Wandsworth Guardian
	 Wanstead and Woodford
	 Warrington Guardian
	 Warrington Worldwide
	 Warwick Courier
	 Wembley and Kingsbury Times
	 West End Extra
	 Western Daily Press
	 Western Morning News (Devon)
	 Whitchurch Herald
	 Whitehaven News
	 Willesden and Brent Times
	 Wilmslow Express
	 Wimbledon Guardian
	 Winsford and Middlewich Guardian
	 Wirral Globe Wigan Evening Post
	 Wolverhampton Chronicle
	 Worcester Evening News
	 Workington Times and Star
	 York Press
	 Yorkshire Evening Post
	 Yorkshire Post (North Yorkshire)
	 Yorkshire Post (South Yorkshire)

Departments: Official Residences

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the official ministerial residences allocated to Ministers in her Department; and what the total annual cost is of running each.

Ivan Lewis: No Ministers in the Department are allocated a ministerial residence.

Departments: Publicity

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was;
	(2)  how much was spent on advertising by  (a) the Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: Consultancy services for advertising campaigns should be understood as the provision of strategic advice on campaigns, not their delivery. Most Government advertising is bought through the Central Office of Information (COI) and under the terms of COI framework agreements advertising agencies are contracted to supply advertising services only, i.e., creative products based on a communications strategy. Advertising agencies (on COI's roster) do not supply broader consultancy services. On occasion wider ranging consultancy projects may inform campaign work but the costs would not be attributed to the campaign.
	Where consultancy is provided by other organisations it usually results in a range of communication activities which may or may not include advertising; so it is not possible to distinguish the cost of providing consultancy for advertising from that for other forms of communication.
	With reference to the second question (139518), the following table shows the advertising spend on information campaigns commissioned by the Department's Communications Directorate in the last five years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Advertising expenditure  (£ million) 
			 2002-03 23.13 
			 2003-04 38.98 
			 2004-05 37.80 
			 2005-06 32.19 
			 2006-07 26.46 
		
	
	We have no central record of advertising spend by Departmental agencies and could not obtain these without incurring disproportionate costs.
	The budget for recruitment advertising below senior civil service level has been delegated to directorates over the period in question. The costs of advertising, as opposed to the other elements of recruiting, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	For appointments to the senior civil service (SCS), recruitment advertising costs cannot be provided within cost threshold for 2004-05. In 2005-06, the total amount spent on recruitment for SCS posts was £859,000 and in 2006-07 to date £571,000. However, this is not just monies spent on advertising but on assessment centres, head-hunting and advertising.

Departments: Surveys

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library copies of her departmental employee surveys for  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007.

Ivan Lewis: The results of the Department's 2005 staff survey can be found at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/news/staff_survey/index.asp
	The 2006 survey report will be posted to this website shortly, and the 2007 report will also be posted when it is published in the summer.
	The Department sees staff surveys as a valuable means of helping to increase performance by identifying both what is working well and areas for improvement. It has used them successfully alongside other indicators of performance and sources of feedback to increase employee engagement and identify priority areas for action.

Dietary Supplements: EC Law

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment the Food Standards Agency has made of the impact of the implementation of the Food Supplements Directive on  (a) the specialist manufacturing sector and  (b) the specialist health food retail sector;
	(2)  what conclusions the Food Standards Agency has reached in relation to the implications for consumer choice following their recent consultation on the Draft Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Food Supplements Directive;
	(3)  what her Department's objectives are with regard to the promotion of the interests of the specialist natural health product manufacturing and exporting sectors; what  (a) meetings have been held and  (b) other steps taken by officials and Ministers in her Department in relation to the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and foods under Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: A regulatory impact assessment (RIA) was carried out in 2002 on the implementation of the Food Supplements Directive, and this included input from the specialist manufacturing sector and the specialist health food retail sector.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recently carried out an informal consultation on an initial RIA that sets out the current position in the United Kingdom with respect to food supplements and seeks information from stakeholders to measure the potential impact in advance of future European Commission (EC) proposals for setting daily dosage levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements. The information will be used to inform the draft RIA, which will then be subject to a formal consultation process. Conclusions will not be available until the end of the formal consultation process.
	The Government's objectives with regard to promotion of the interests of the specialist natural health product manufacturing and exporting sectors are to ensure that consumer choice and protection are maintained.
	I met with the specialist manufacturing and health food retail sectors in March 2007, and have written to and met with the director of DG SANCO at the EC in relation to the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals under Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive. Officials have previously held meetings with their European counterparts, including a meeting with German officials in March.

Disabled: Funding

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government plan to provide public funding for local access groups which provide advice services in relation to accessibility for people with limited mobility.

Ivan Lewis: The Section 64 General Scheme of Grants to Voluntary Organisations is the Department's main funding source to voluntary organisations. Although this year's round has now closed, if local access groups are considering making an application in the future they can obtain information about the scheme from
	www.dh.gov.uk/section64.
	The 2008-09 applications window has not yet opened. It is likely that we will now place the funding priorities on the Department's website in the week commencing 18 June, with a view to opening the scheme to applications on 2 July. This should provide organisations with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the 2008-09 funding priorities before we open for applications.
	Local access groups may also wish to approach the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Institute of Fundraising, who may be able to offer advice on other possible sources of funding.

Drugs: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency's anti-counterfeiting strategy aimed at disrupting those enterprises engaged in the importation, wholesale, distribution and supply of counterfeit medicines.

Caroline Flint: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is currently developing a comprehensive anti-counterfeiting strategy which will take into account developments in the trade in counterfeit medicines. A copy will be placed in the Library when the strategy is published.

East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust: Management Consultants

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust has spent on management consultants since its inception; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Fit for Future Programme

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much had been spent up to 4 June 2007 on the Fit for Future programme; and how much has been paid to McKinsey and Company for work undertaken as part of the Fit for Future programme.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally. Any proposals for major service change are a matter for the national health service locally.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Rice

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the plans are for the Food Standards Agency's review of its handling of the GM rice (LL601) contamination incident following the judicial review of the Food Standards Agency by Friends of the Earth; when the review will take place; whether the input of external stakeholders will be sought; and who will lead the review.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency will be carrying out a review of its handling of the genetically modified rice contamination incident. It will seek input from key external stakeholders. Details of the review are currently being finalised.

Headaches: Medical Treatments

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is available on the NHS for occipital nerve stimulation for cluster headaches; and whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has been consulted on the provision of the treatment.

Ivan Lewis: Recent trials involving the use of occipital nerve stimulation for the treatment of cluster headaches have shown some promise. It is the responsibility of health professionals to consider whether this treatment should be made available to those patients where existing drug treatments prove ineffective.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not been consulted on the provision of this treatment.

Health Services: East Riding

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1603W, on health services: East Riding, what her Department's definition is of emergency treatment; whether a visit to a general practitioner is classed as emergency treatment; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not define emergency treatment precisely as this is a decision for clinicians. However, the Department would expect that emergency treatment is treatment which cannot be delayed without risking serious harm to a patient, arising out of a sudden or unexpected change in their condition.
	Under their contracts, general practices are required to treat anyone, regardless of whether they are registered with the practice, if they require emergency or immediately necessary treatment.
	Regulation 15 paragraph 6 of the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2004 (2004/291) states that:
	"A contractor must provide primary medical services required in core hours for the immediately necessary treatment of any person to whom the contractor has been requested to provide treatment owing to an accident and emergency at any place in its practice area."
	Paragraph 7 also states that:
	"In paragraph (6), 'emergency' includes any medical emergency whether or not related to services provided under the contract".

Health Services: Sex

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on training for sexual health and pregnancy advisory services on effective multi-agency working and disclosure to protect children and young people from abuse in 2006-07.

Caroline Flint: Effective joint working and information sharing between agencies and professionals are cornerstones of the Government's policy to ensure that children and young people are effectively safeguarded from abuse. Where there is evidence or a reasonable cause to believe that children and young people are suffering from or at risk of suffering from significant harm then action must be taken. Revised guidance, 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' produced in April 2006, provides detailed guidance about responding to child welfare concerns involving alleged crimes, including where there is under-age sexual activity. Information on how much money is spent locally on training staff is not collected centrally.

Health: Ports

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with  (a) the Health Protection Agency and  (b) the Board of Airline Representatives on (i) agreeing a system for routine data systems to be established and (ii) where data on travellers can be made readily available in response to a public health incident or risk as recommended in the Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published by the Health Protection Agency in March 2006.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is leading on this operational matter. The HPA has held discussions with airline representatives, through the Department for Transport's Facilitation Stakeholders Forum, on the sharing of information in relation to public health incidents. Airlines have responded, on an international basis, that they consider routine collection of further information to be not feasible but have accepted the principle of using World Health Organisation passenger locator cards in the event that information is required in response to a public health incident.

Health: Ports

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has  (a) prepared and  (b) implemented a national financial framework for expenditure in port health as recommended in the Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published by the Health Protection Agency in March 2006.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency, as the operational lead in this area, has been working actively in collaboration with primary care trusts and local authorities to establish the financial framework for these services as part of its port health quality and governance arrangements. This work will continue within the agency's overall business planning system.

Health: Ports

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which international travel terminals have  (a) implemented and  (b) evaluated and amended their port health risk assessments as recommended in the Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published by the Health Protection Agency in March 2006 over the last 12 months;
	(2)  what steps her Department has taken to ensure the Port Health risk assessment is published and made available to those within the Health Protection Agency responsible for port health as recommended in the Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published by the Health Protection Agency in March 2006.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has developed a draft risk assessment for ports and is currently consulting on this with the Association of Port Health Authorities and with ports and carriers via the Department for Transport. Following the consultation the HPA plans to publish these risk assessments once they have been completed, subject to agreement with stakeholders.

Health: Ports

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many entrants at ports of entry into the UK were referred to NHS facilities in the last five years for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not hold this information.

Heart Diseases: Young People

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds have been allocated within the NHS to research  (a) the cause of and  (b) treatment for cardiac risk in the young.

Rosie Winterton: Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's total expenditure on health research has been devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. These organisations have reported spending from this funding in support of coronary heart disease as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 55 
			 2003-04 53 
			 2004-05 59 
			 2005-06 59 
		
	
	The Department does not collect specific expenditure data. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS can be found on the national research register at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/research.
	Implementation of the Department's research strategy 'Best Research for Best Health' will result in an expansion of our research programmes and in significant new funding opportunities for health research. In particular, the University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Biomedical Research Centre and the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, formed this year, plan to undertake work on sudden cardiac death. The centrally funded budget for the cardiovascular disease research theme at UCLH is £5.1 million over five years and for the heart research theme at Oxford is £3.1 million over five years.

Homeopathy

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will list the primary care trusts which have stopped all funding for homeopathic treatment; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what cost-benefit analysis has been carried out on NHS homeopathic treatments; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government consider that decision-making on individual clinical interventions, whether conventional, or complementary/alternative treatments, has to be a matter for local national health service providers and practitioners as they are best placed to know their community's needs. In making such decisions, they have to take into account evidence for the safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness of any treatments, the availability of suitably qualified practitioners, and the needs of the individual patient. Clinical responsibility rests with the NHS professional who makes the decision to refer and who must therefore be able to justify any treatment they recommend. If they are unconvinced about the suitability of a particular treatment, they cannot be made to refer.
	The Department recognises that the health needs of a community can differ from area to area and primary care trusts (PCTs) would reflect these needs in developing these policies. We would expect the PCTs to carry out their own cost-benefit analysis of any treatment or service they were considering commissioning.

Hospital Wards: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS beds in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex were in mixed wards in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Maternity Services: Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to prevent adverse changes to the level of services provided for neo-natal care at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Ivan Lewis: Decisions about the size and locations of neonatal networks, including the number of hospitals and the levels of care provided, are for local decision and should reflect local need and geography.
	NHS West Midlands reports that the proposed changes to neonatal services provided by hospitals in the Staffordshire, Shropshire and Black Country Neonatal Network will be subject to a public consultation. The Network will be publishing the process for consultation shortly.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2007,  Official Report, column 721W, on drug analysis, 
	(1)  what the time scale is for the planned programme for the resolution of the technical and data issues relating to the production of drug analysis prints; and when the problems are due to be resolved;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the implications of the technical problems experienced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Yellow Card Scheme on the MHRA's commitment to pharmaco-vigilance and the provision of information to the general public on adverse drug reactions.

Caroline Flint: Drug Analysis Prints (DAPs) are reports that collect together information on suspected adverse drug reactions submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) through the yellow card scheme. The programme for resolving the technical and data issues relating to the production of DAP on the MHRA website is ongoing. This is a high priority for the Agency and full resolution is planned by the end of the 2007-08 business year. The Agency does provide anonymised information on suspected adverse drug reactions upon request to the general public, health professionals, and pharmaceutical companies, interim measures are in place for providing these data ad-hoc in an equivalent, non-automated, format to the DAP.
	The MHRA continue to have total commitment to its pharmacovigilance function and the provision of data on adverse drug reactions. The technical issues experienced at the MHRA have however had an impact upon the format in which these data are presented. The resolution of these issues and full utilisation of the future Sentinel system will enable the Agency to further enhance the pharmacovigilance capabilities and continue to be a world leader in the provision of authoritative, high quality drug safety information by maximising the best technologies available.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff funded by the public purse in the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency are classified as people without posts.

Ivan Lewis: None.

Midwives: Insurance

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what relevance  (a) existing and  (b) proposed European Union directives have to her Department's decision to require independent midwives to have professional indemnity insurance.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 7 June 2007
	European directive 2005/36 on the recognition of professional qualifications allows (but does not require) regulatory bodies to demand evidence of indemnity insurance from incoming European migrants, provided that they demand the same information from United Kingdom nationals. The directive is not therefore directly relevant to Government policy, which is to include provision for compulsory indemnity cover as a condition of registration in legislation for each profession, as the opportunity arises in wider legislative change.

Midwives: Insurance

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 1317-18W, on midwives: insurance, if she will clarify the information included in the White Paper.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 7 June 2007
	The White Paper "Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21(st) Century" states in paragraph 6.3
	"In response to a government initiative, indemnity insurance is also becoming a requirement''.
	Government policy is to include provision for compulsory indemnity cover as a condition of registration in legislation for each profession, as the opportunity arises in wider legislative change.
	The introduction of compulsory professional indemnity cover for midwives will require secondary legislation. A three-month public consultation will form part of that legislative process. No specific date for this has yet been set.

Muscular Dystrophy: Research

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to fund elsewhere in the UK research initiatives similar to the Translational Research Centre of Excellence for Neuromuscular Diseases in London.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is the main body through which the UK Government support initiatives similar to the Translational Research Centre of Excellence. The MRC currently funds 21 such centres, including six new translational centres last year, and will continue to support centres of excellence in priority areas. MRC has set aside this year's funding for centres in lifelong health and ageing.

NHS Alliance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was provided to the NHS Alliance from  (a) her Department's budget and  (b) the NHS budget in each financial year since 1997-98.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not provide any core funding to the NHS Alliance. However, the Department does hold contracts with the NHS Alliance to provide services for the Department. The annual totals for payments made by the Department of Health to the NHS Alliance since 2002 are as follows:
	
		
			   Payments made to NHS Alliance (£) 
			 2002-03 67,006.25 
			 2003-04 69,597.60 
			 2004-05 58,750.00 
			 2005-06 85,197.50 
			 2006-07 112,647.25 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide figures prior to 2002-03 without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Information about the amount of funding that is provided to the NHS Alliance from national health service organisations budgets is not collected by the Department.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of her Department's staff have been  (a) recruited by and  (b) seconded to designated foundation trust hospitals.

Ivan Lewis: We do not record any information relating to an individual's future employer when they leave the Department. This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	There are currently six staff from the Department on secondment to foundation trust hospitals across England. In addition, we have 10 staff seconded to strategic health authorities (SHA). However, we do not maintain records of previous secondments to either foundation trusts or SHAs.

NHS Numbers

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS numbers are in issuance.

Caroline Flint: National health service numbers are currently issued and controlled by the national health service central register (NHSCR). At close of business on 5 June 2007 the total number of records held by NHSCR on the central health record inquiry system (CHRIS) was 74,581,472. This included a number of deceased patients (9,166,168), and number of invalid records (355,735). The total of NHS numbers 'in issuance, at that point was therefore 65,059,569.
	The in issuance figure includes a further 7,903,001 numbers where the patient entry contains an exit or cancelled flag. There can be a number of reasons for this, such as where patients are known to have left the country on a permanent basis, armed forces personnel, and unregistered, the majority of which will be of notified births that have not yet been registered with a general practitioner.
	As part of the Department's NHS Connecting for Health Agency's demographics migration programme the personal demographics service (PDS) will replace the following existing NHS demographics services:
	the NHS Central Register (CHRIS);
	demographic functions of the national health applications and infrastructure services (NHAIS);
	the NHS strategic tracing service (NSTS); and
	NHS number for babies (NN4B).
	Moving to the PDS becoming the single authoritative source of demographics will enable the existing national demographic systems to be shut down, resulting in reduced operational costs.
	The PDS is an essential element of the NHS care records service, underpinning the creation of an electronic care record for every registered NHS patient in England. It will serve as a gateway to the clinical record, enabling authorised healthcare professionals to locate quickly the clinical record that is uniquely associated with each demographic record. Unlike the previous services, this single authoritative source of demographics is already accessible throughout the NHS and is integrated fully with the other applications and services delivered as part of the national programme for information technology. It provides more convenience for patients as they need only notify one authorised healthcare organisation of a change of address, and this change will be then available to all healthcare organisations as and when the patient's records are accessed.
	The demographics migration programme is also endeavouring to eliminate use of NHS temporary, and old-format numbers. These peaked in November 2004 at some 273,578 temporary, and 8,474 old-format numbers. By May 2007 nationally these figures had reduced to some 78,997 temporary, and just 30 old-format numbers. The elimination of use of all temporary and old-format numbers within the NHS is on target to be achieved by spring 2008.

NHS: Complaints

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were made against the national health service in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The following table gives numbers of written complaints made between April 1997 and the end of March 2006, and these are the latest available audited data.
	The data reflect complaints made through the national health service complaints procedure and do not include complaints made to the General Medical Council or other professional bodies.
	
		
			  Hospital and community services and family health services, written complaints in England, 1997-2006 
			   Number of written complaints 
			 1997-98 126,850 
			 1998-99 124,870 
			 1999-2000 126,261 
			 2000-01 140,176 
			 2001-02 133,274 
			 2002-03 133,867 
			 2003-04 133,469 
			 2004-05 133,820 
			 2005-06 138,396

NHS: Drugs

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the proposals contained in her Department's consultation, Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff, would restrict the ability of firms to choose the prices of the services they provide to NHS patients; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: In reviewing Part IX of the Drug Tariff, the Department is trying to ensure that there is transparency for the national health service between the reimbursement price for items and remuneration for services provided; there is none today. The aim is also to ensure that the NHS, and the taxpayer, is getting value for money—and, most importantly, that patient care is maintained or, where appropriate, improved.
	This is why there have been two recent consultations. One set out proposals for reimbursement levels for item price—"Arrangements for the reimbursement pricing of stoma and incontinence appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff".
	The other, "Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff", set our proposals relating to service provision; both what that service should be and the remuneration that the NHS would make for such services. Here the intent was to ensure fair remuneration of valued services provided by the pharmacy and appliance contractors. It was also designed to make sure that the services provided by all dispensing contractors are to the same standard no matter where in England a user of appliances may live.
	The underlying costs of the services they provide is a commercial matter for providers.
	As previously advised, the volume and complexity of the responses to the consultation are such that the Department has decided that it needs more time to analyse the information provided. Consequently, no changes will be implemented in July 2007 as proposed in the consultation documents.

NHS: Freedom of Information

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on private firms seeking to use the Freedom of Information legislation to obtain details of management decisions or discussions by primary care trusts and other NHS bodies.

Ivan Lewis: Information about Freedom of Information requests made to the national health service is not collected centrally. Primary care trusts and other NHS organisations are public authorities and are consequently obliged to comply fully with the law, including the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

NHS: ICT

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value has been of her Department's forward payments to local service providers under the National Programme for Information Technology since the programme's inception.

Caroline Flint: Forward payments have been made to the National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) suppliers to reduce contract costs. All forward payments are repayable in the event of subsequent non-commencement of services and are protected by bonds or charges against assets, which enable the payments to be withdrawn on demand. Moreover, forward payments are typically made after the contractor has already incurred the costs to which the payments relate. This prudent approach has subsequently been adopted as an option in guidance issued by the Office of Government Commerce in respect of the procurement of IT-enabled services from the private sector.
	The value of forward payments made to local service providers (LSPs) since inception of NPfIT, as at 31 March 2007 are shown in the following tables. Forward payments are depleted as the supplier successfully delivers the contracted solutions. Instead of being paid as the projects go live, suppliers are allowed to recognise the appropriate amount of the forward payment for that project. The principle of payment on delivery is thus maintained.
	
		
			  Core contracts 
			  £ million 
			  LSP area  Total advance payments  Earned to date  Repaid  Total advance payments outstanding 
			 East/East Midlands 56.8 8.1 13.8 34.9 
			 North Eastern 72.5 4.0 21.8 46.7 
			 London 53.0 53.0 0.0 0.0 
			 North West/West Midlands 216.6 155.0 0.0 61.6 
			 South 246.8 33.9 37.0 176.0 
			 South/London 7(1) 11.0 0.0 0.0 11.0 
			 Total 656.7 254.0 72.6 332.3 
			 (1) Payments made to CSC in respect of seven trusts in the London and South LSP areas which have opted to take the iSoft solution from CSC rather than the London and South LSPs' Cerner solution. 
		
	
	
		
			  Picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) 
			  £ million 
			  LSP area  Total advance payments  Earned to date  Repaid  Total advance payments outstanding 
			 East/East Midlands 24.9 24.7 — 0.2 
			 North Eastern 19.7 19.7 — 0.0 
			 London 29.7 16.4 — 13.3 
			 North West/West Midlands 50.3 27.3 — 23.0 
			 South 65.8 55.2 6.9 3.7 
			 Total 190.4 143.3 6.9 40.2

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2006,  Official Report, column 490W, on NHS IT systems, when the results of the review will be published.

Caroline Flint: We expect to publish the results of the review shortly.

NHS: ICT

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff funded by the public purse in NHS Connecting for Health are classified as people without posts.

Caroline Flint: None.

NHS: Negligence

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on lawyers' fees in respect of negligence claims in each of the last five years; and how much compensation was paid in respect of negligence claims by the NHS in each year.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect information on the total amounts spent by the national health service on either lawyer's fees or compensation in respect of negligence claims. The NHS Litigation Authority collects details of the amounts spent by the NHS on lawyer's fees and compensation for claims made under clinical and non-clinical NHS schemes. Data for these schemes for the last five years are in the following tables.
	
		
			  Legal fees( 1) 
			  £000 
			  Financial year  Clinical  Non-clinical  Total 
			 2005-06 151,030 15,097 166,127 
			 2004-05 134,441 16,637 151,078 
			 2003-04 121,186 7,063 128,249 
			 2002-03 117,204 5,934 123,138 
			 2001-02 (2)96,874 1,959 98,833 
			 (1) Legal fees are compensated quarterly (during the progress of a claim) for defence costs, but only at settlement of a claim for claimant costs. (2) Includes clinical negligence scheme for trusts call-in reimbursement to trusts. 
		
	
	
		
			  Compensation 
			  £000 
			  Financial year  Clinical  Non-clinical  Total 
			 2005-06 409,278 16,512 425,790 
			 2004-05 368,453 25,574 394,027 
			 2003-04 301,328 3,185 304,513 
			 2002-03 328,980 16,330 345,310 
			 2001-02 (1)452,070 4,890 456,960 
			 (1) Includes clinical negligence scheme for trusts call-in reimbursement to trusts.

NHS: Standards

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has met the Chairman of the Labour Party to discuss NHS service provision since 3 July 2006.

Ivan Lewis: The Secretary of State meets her Cabinet colleagues regularly to discuss a range of issues, but has not met the chair of the Labour party to discuss national health service provision since 3 July 2006.

Osteoporosis: Drugs

Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to ensure that the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on drugs to treat osteoporosis is being fully implemented;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to  (a) encourage osteoporosis patients to comply with their medication and  (b) inform patients of alternative products which allow for less frequent treatments;
	(3)  what education and treatment programmes are being introduced to stem the anticipated future rise in osteoporosis;
	(4)  what  (a) (i) guidance and (ii) training she is providing to medical practitioners and  (b) guidance she is providing to the public to mitigate the effects of the expected rise in the incidence of osteoporosis.

Ivan Lewis: There is a statutory duty for health bodies to provide funding for drug treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) within three months of the guidance being issued.
	Osteoporosis can often be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and, through a range of initiatives, the Department is raising awareness of the importance of regular exercise, a balanced diet, smoking prevention/cessation and a responsible attitude to alcohol consumption in the prevention of a range of conditions, including osteoporosis.
	The Department has also asked NICE to produce a clinical guideline on the assessment of risk fracture and prevention of osteoporotic fractures in individuals at high risk.
	The training of medical practitioners is the responsibility of the royal colleges. The National Library for Health clinical knowledge summaries website at www.cks.library.nhs.uk offers advice on the management of a range of conditions and symptoms, including osteoporosis, that are commonly seen in primary care. The guidance is advisory and has been developed to assist healthcare professionals, together with patients, make decisions about the management of the patient's health.
	It is the responsibility of health professionals to provide patients with information on the most appropriate treatment regime based on a clinical assessment of their individual situation. This information should also include the importance of compliance with medication and any recommended lifestyle changes.

Patient Choice Schemes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 621W, on patient choice schemes, for what reasons the total number of bookings made through both direct and indirect bookings in the period since July 2004 are different in table two and in table one.

Caroline Flint: The information in table one was accurate to 31 March 2007. Due to an administrative error the figures in table two included some information relating to April 2007. Arrangements have been made for amended tables to be placed in the Library.

Patients: Surveys

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to whom the breakdown by practice of the GP patients' survey is made available.

Andy Burnham: Results of the general practitioner patient survey will be available on the Department's website shortly.

Pharmacy

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which dispensing appliance contractors hold a market share of more than 5 per cent.; and what percentage market share each holds.

Andy Burnham: There are two distinct sectors in the dispensing appliance contractor market: incontinence and stoma. Given this, the number of contractors in each sector that have more than a 5 per cent. share of the dispensing appliance contracting market is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of companies with > 5 per cent. share of market 
			 Incontinence(1) 4 
			 Stoma(1) 3 
			 (1) These figures are based on the net ingredient value for the period January 2005 to June 2006. 
		
	
	The names of these companies—and their specific market share—are not publicly available, as the information is commercially confidential.

Pharmacy: North East Region

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pharmacists were making independent prescriptions in  (a) Gateshead East and Washington West,  (b) the North East and  (c) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The Department obtains information from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB), which shows the number of pharmacists who have qualified and registered as pharmacist independent prescribers in Great Britain. The figures for May 2007 show that 68 pharmacists had registered their qualification with the RPSGB.
	The Department does not have information at a local level.

Smoking

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines have been issued to local authorities on ensuring enclosed public spaces have no smoking signs at all entrances.

Caroline Flint: In March 2006, guidance on the implementation of smokefree legislation was published by Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services. The purpose of the guidance, which includes specific sections on no-smoking signs, is to support local council regulatory officers in successfully implementing smokefree legislation which will be enforced in England from 6 am on Sunday, 1 July 2007.
	The Department has also provided a two-phase training programme for local authorities on smokefree legislation and will shortly launch an e-learning facility so local authority officers can complete training at their workplace. Training also includes references to no-smoking sign requirements and has been provided to develop a standardised approach to the enforcement of the new smokefree law across England, and has been provided free of charge to local authorities.

Smoking

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many council officers have been trained to enforce the forthcoming smoking ban, broken down by local authorities; and what the cost has been to both central and local government of implementing this training.

Caroline Flint: The Department has provided a two-phase training programme for local authorities on smokefree legislation and will shortly launch an e-learning facility for local authority officers to complete training at their work place. Training has been provided to develop a standardised approach to the enforcement of the new smokefree law across England, and has been provided free of charge to local authorities.
	The first phase of training was conducted between October to December 2006 for service planners within local authorities to assist the development of local smokefree implementation strategies. Some 450 officers attended this training. The second phase of training is currently being delivered for local authority regulatory officers to provide knowledge, practical skills and competencies so they can build compliance with the new law in their local areas. Some 1,150 places have been made available for local council officers for this training. The two-phase programme of training has been delivered to local councils free of charge by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) on a regional basis.
	An e-learning facility has also been developed to provide training on the new smokefree law for local council officers. This facility has been developed by the Trading Standards Institute, will be freely available to any local council officer across England who requires training on the new law and will be launched shortly.
	The total cost of developing and providing training on smokefree legislation for the Department is £445,600. An estimate of the costs to local authorities could only be made at disproportionate cost. The Department cannot precisely determine the number of local authority officers who have received training on the new smokefree law— some local authorities have made additional arrangements directly with the CIEH for the delivery of training programmes, many local councils have undertaken in-house training and the smokefree e-learning system is expected to be popular.

Smoking

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken by  (a) central Government,  (b) local authorities and  (c) NHS trusts to inform the public of the forthcoming smoking ban; and what the (i) planned and (ii) eventual cost was of these measures.

Caroline Flint: Through the Smokefree England campaign, the Department is delivering a major communications campaign to support businesses to be prepared for the implementation of smokefree legislation on 1 July 2007. Recent surveys by the Department show levels of awareness amongst businesses and the general public have improved significantly.
	Information on the new law is available from the freephone Smokefree England information line on 0800 169 169 7 and on the Smokefree England website at:
	www.smokefreeengland.co.uk.
	Presently, the Smokefree England website receives approximately 100,000 visits a week, while the phone line receives 6,000 calls a week.
	The Department has developed a range of guides on the new law. A Smokefree England information pack, including a guide, no-smoking signs and other support materials has been sent to all registered, actively trading businesses in England that employ staff during April. Guidance documents can be downloaded from the Smokefree England website, and are available in a range of different languages and accessible formats, including an MP3 audio version.
	The Department also continues to work closely with a diverse range of organisations across the country to increase awareness of the new legislation among their constituents.
	In May, the Department commenced a national advertising campaign using a range of media to inform members of the public about what the legislation will mean when it comes in to force. While 93 per cent. of the overall population are aware of smokefree legislation, 45 per cent. don't know that it comes into force on 1 July 2007. Therefore the campaign has been developed to assist the public to know when the law will be implemented, where the law will apply and what the penalties are for non-compliance.
	Local authorities are also working to build compliance in their communities through a diverse range of activity. Local businesses are advised to contact their local council for advice and support in implementing smokefree legislation. National health service trusts and local NHS Stop Smoking Services are also working in different ways to promote the new smokefree law.
	The total budget allocated to the Department of the smokefree communications campaign is £8.5 million. The costs to local authorities and NHS trusts of their efforts to promote the new smokefree legislation could be made only at disproportionate cost.

Smoking

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the new no smoking sign cost to design; and what estimate has been made of the production costs of all new no smoking signs.

Caroline Flint: The Health Act 2006 requires no-smoking signs to be displayed in smokefree premises and vehicles that comply with the requirements set out in the Smoke-free (Signs) Regulations 2007.
	To support those with management responsibilities for smokefree premises, the Department has designed and made freely available no-smoking signs that comply with the requirements of smokefree legislation. The total design cost of no-smoking signs being made available as part of the Department's Smokefree England campaign was £1,270.
	Based on the current costings and volumes, no-smoking signs for premises cost the Department 0.04p each to produce.

Smoking: Listed Buildings

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from those responsible for listed buildings on the appearance and placement of the new no smoking signs; and what recent discussions she has had with church leaders on the issue.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 326W.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what petitions have been received by her Department from the unstaffed sunbed salon industry operators in opposition to further regulation;
	(2)  what representations she has received from the unstaffed sunbed salon industry on usage of sunbeds by people under the age of 16;
	(3)  whether she has met representatives of the unstaffed sunbed salon industry in the last two years.

Caroline Flint: The Department has received copies of a petition signed by customers of the Consol Suncenter chain of coin-operated sunbed salons. Officials have had discussions with representatives from Consol at which the issue of access by those under 16 years to Consol's sunbed parlours were discussed. I met representatives of Consol on 29 March 2007.

Surgical Dressings

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients were treated with maggot debridement therapy within the NHS in each year since 1997, broken down by NHS trust; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the potential effect on costs of the use of maggot debridement therapy in the NHS; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent representations her Department has received on maggot debridement therapy; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what  (a) clinical trials and  (b) other studies have taken place on maggot debridement therapy; how much was spent on such activity in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  what assessment has been made of potential adverse side effects of maggot debridement therapy; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested regarding the numbers of patients treated with maggot debridement therapy (MDT) is not held centrally. However, there is one such medical grade maggot which is now available on prescription in the United Kingdom so that general practitioners can use MDT in the community. There were around 1,100 prescriptions written for dispensing in the community for LarvE (the commercial brand name for the sterile maggots) in 2005, which does not include hospital use.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has advised the national health service that the choice of debriding agent for difficult to heal surgical wounds should be based on comfort, odour control, other aspects relevant to patient acceptability, the type and location of the wound and total costs. The actual costs of treating difficult to heal wounds have not been measured. If specific services for the management of difficult to heal surgical wounds were to be developed throughout the NHS, there would be organisational and cost implications, which would need to be evaluated.
	My noble Friend, the Minister of State for Health (Lord Hunt), has received an invitation from the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs. Moon) to visit Zoobiotic Ltd. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Public Health (Caroline Flint) has received a letter from the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn) regarding the issue of MDT.
	The Health Technology Assessment Programme funded a trial of MDT to be undertaken by the Department of Health Sciences of the University of York. The study started on 1 June 2004, involving 600 patients with venous leg ulcers who were randomised to one of three treatment groups to compare their effects on healing and debridement times. The Government, through the Health Technology Assessment Programme, agreed to fund this study, which had been several years in the planning and cost over 700,000. The report of the research is expected in early 2009.
	MDT may cause pain or discomfort, particularly in patients already experiencing wound pain. This usually occurs about 24-36 hours into therapy and worsens as the larvae grow larger, Painkillers should help to relieve the pain; otherwise removing the maggot dressing provides immediate relief. The maggots should be contained within the wound. If they escape onto unprotected skin around the edges of the wound, the larvae secretions can cause a rash on the skin which resembles a superficial burn.

Tomography: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many computerised tomography scanners are operational in the NHS in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect information on the operational use of the computed tomography (CT) scanners. However, I am informed by NHS South East Coast that there are two CT scanners installed in trusts in East Sussex, one at Eastbourne District general hospital and another at the Conquest hospital, Hastings.

Tuberculosis: Immigrants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether new entrants at ports of entry with symptoms of tuberculosis are referred to NHS facilities near the port of entry or their intended destination as recommended in Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published by the Health Protection Agency in March 2006.

Caroline Flint: If the new entrant at a port is identified to have symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis they will be assessed by a medical inspector and will be referred either to an appropriate national health service facility near the port or to an NHS facility at their intended destination, depending on the nature of their symptoms as assessed by the medical inspector.

Tuberculosis: Immigrants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has carried out a review of the benefits of X-ray screening for tuberculosis at ports as recommended by the Health Protection Agency in Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published in March 2006.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency has this matter under review and is now looking in more detail at how screening new migrants for tuberculosis could work in the future.

Tuberculosis: Immigrants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which ports of entry into the UK undertake tuberculosis screening by X-ray machine; and what arrangements are in place for multi-terminal ports that have only one such machine.

Caroline Flint: Only Heathrow and Gatwick airports have on-site X-ray machines. Where necessary, the immigration service makes arrangements for transporting people referred for medical examination between terminals.

University of Liverpool Cancer Research Centre

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to expand the University of Liverpool Cancer Research Centre; and if she will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The Medical Research Council currently provides support to the University of Liverpool Cancer Research Centre through response-mode grants. The MRC welcomes applications for support into any aspect of human health and they are judged in open competition with other demands. In addition, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has provided one equipment grant to the centre.

X-rays

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the additional money earmarked for dual X-ray absorptiometry scans has been allocated to health authorities; and how much has been spent on additional scanning capacity.

Ivan Lewis: In 2005-06, the Department allocated 3 million revenue funding on a non-recurrent basis to 14 strategic health authorities (SHAs) for the purchase of DXA scans from the independent sector, or other national health service providers where this represented better value for money. Expenditure against these allocations has not been monitored centrally.
	Capital funding of 17 million has been made available in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to improve NHS capacity through investment in new DXA scanning equipment. This additional funding was included in the overall strategic capital allocation to SHAs and the Department does not monitor how SHAs' strategic capital is spent.
	Since January 2006, the Department has been collecting waiting time and activity data for 15 diagnostic tests or procedures, including DXA scans. In April 2007, the latest date for which figures are available, 683 patients have been waiting more than 13 weeks, and 14 patients more than 26 weeks, for a DXA scan. This represents a reduction of 92.7 per cent. and 99.6 per cent. respectively from the baseline figure.

JUSTICE

Community Justice Centres: Public Appointments

Graham Allen: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 374W, on community justice centres: public appointments, what meetings have taken place between the district judge and the community about the appointment of the district judge; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: District Judge Cooper has had two meetings with local residents, a meeting with community based organisations and has also met local MPs.

Departments: Official Cars

Si�n Simon: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what make and model of car  (a) she and  (b) each Minister in her Department selected as their official ministerial car; and what criteria were used when making the decision in each case.

Harriet Harman: Ministers in my Department have selected ministerial cars as follows:
	
		
			   Make/model 
			 Lord Falconer Jaguar XJ 
			 Harriet Harman Toyota Prius 
			 David Hanson Mondeo Zetec 
			 Bridget Prentice Toyota Prius 
			 Baroness Ashton Toyota Prius 
			 Vera Baird Toyota Prius 
			 Gerry Sutcliffe Toyota Prius 
		
	
	For the second part of the question I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Minister of State for Transport on 14 June 2007,  Official Report, columns l268-69W.

Departments: Official Residences

Theresa May: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will list the official ministerial residences allocated to Ministers in her Department; and what the total annual cost is of running each.

Harriet Harman: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1263W. Information for the last financial year relating to the use of the Lord Chancellor's residence, including costs, will be published shortly.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much was raised from the sale of departmental property in each of the last five years.

Harriet Harman: Information on how much the Department has raised from the sale of departmental property is shown in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			   Sale proceeds 
			 06-07 34.66 
			 05-06 25.25 
			 04-05 25.96 
			 03-04 91.18 
			 02-03 10.19

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what recent estimate has been made of the value of the Department's property portfolio.

Harriet Harman: The total property portfolio was valued at 31 March 2007 to be 9,728.547 million.

Departments: Public Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much money her Department plans to spend in the 2007-08 financial year on public relations.

Harriet Harman: The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007. Its planned expenditure on public relations through external public relations companies from 9 May 2007 is:
	25,000 to increase the public's understanding of the work of courts and their role in the justice system;
	50,000 to increase public awareness of the new Mental Capacity Act 2005;
	12,500 for a public awareness campaign about the legal status of cohabitation;
	12,500 to publicise the Family Mediation Helpline;
	55,000 for a public awareness campaign on human rights.
	The Ministry's press office also undertakes proactive public relations activity as part of its wider media relations remit, but this activity cannot be costed out separately.

Driving Offences: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many people in the London Borough of Bexley have received fixed penalty notices for using a mobile phone whilst driving in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Data on police action for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving are not collected centrally by local authority area.

Family Courts

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on family courts.

Harriet Harman: I have regular discussions and meetings about the family courts with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, who has responsibility for Children, Young People and Families. My hon. Friend is also a member of the Ministerial Group on Care Proceedings, which meets quarterly and which I chair.
	We both attended a meeting of the London Family Justice Council on 11 June 2007 to observe the work of the council.

Judges: Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many  (a) Crown court,  (b) County court,  (c) High court and  (d) Court of Appeal judges have been appointed in each of the last five years; how each was appraised; what criteria are adopted for each appointment; whether consideration is given to a candidate's political views; how many candidates were rejected; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The following tables set out the numbers of applicants for, and appointments to, full-time judicial posts (not including magistrates) in the courts system for the five-year period 2001-02 to 2005-06, plus appointments to the fee-paid position of recorder. It is not possible to identify separately appointments to the Crown court and county court as judges on the Circuit Bench and recorders are deployed to either. District judges sit in the county court only. Members of the full-time judiciary are not subject to formal appraisal after appointment.
	In addition to the minimum criteria set out in law for appointment to each level of post, applicants must demonstrate that they have the qualities and abilities needed to successfully take on judicial office, including relevant knowledge and experience, independence, professionalism, judgment and people skills. Information about candidates' political views is neither sought nor taken into account in the selection process. Since April 2006, the independent Judicial Appointments Commission has had the responsibility for appointments and has set out the qualities and abilities it believes are necessary for judicial office. These are: intellectual capacity, personal qualities, the ability to understand and treat fairly, authority and communication skills and efficiency.
	
		
			  Court of Appeal 
			   Appointed 
			 2005-06 4 
			 2004-05 1 
			 2003-04 6 
			 2002-03 2 
			 2001-02 1 
		
	
	
		
			  High Court 
			   Applicants  Appointed 
			 2005-06 129 8 
			 2004-05 128 11 
			 2003-04 174 10 
			 2002-03 57 6 
			 2001-02  9 
		
	
	
		
			  Senior Circuit Judge 
			   Applicants  Appointed  Rejected 
			 2005-06 41 5 36 
			 2004-05 39 6 33 
			 2003-04 41 7 34 
			 2002-03 30 4 26 
		
	
	
		
			  Circuit Bench 
			   Applicants  Appointed  Reserve  Rejected 
			 2005-06 248 42 64 142 
			 2004-05 112 6 28 78 
			 2003-04 207 30 65 112 
			 2002-03 (1)
			 2001-02 231 20 94 117 
			 (1) No general competition was held in 2002-2003. However, 39 vacancies arose in this period, 38 posts were filled by candidates who were on the circuit bench reserve list established after the 2001-02 competition. 
		
	
	
		
			  District Bench 
			   Applicants  Appointed  Reserve  Rejected 
			 2005-06 24 13 2 9 
			 2004-05 248 26 27 195 
			 2003-04 29 3 2 24 
			 2002-03 241 15 22 204 
			 2001-02 25 2 1 22 
		
	
	
		
			  Recorder 
			   Applicants  Appointed  Reserve  Rejected 
			 2005-06 782 162 192 428 
			 2004-05 683 143  540 
			 2003-04 267 20 26 221 
			 2002-03 589 93 83 413 
			 2001-02 540 98

Judges: Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will list the  (a) primary legislation and  (b) statutory instruments which regulate (i) the appointment and (ii) renewal of appointment of (A) Crown court, (B) county court, (C) High court and (D) Court of Appeal judges; what changes have been made to each since their enactment; what further amendments are planned; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The principal legislation which regulates the appointment and renewal (where relevant) of salaried and fee-paid judicial office holders to the Crown court, county court, high court and Court of Appeal is set out as follows:
	The Courts Act 1971
	The Supreme Court Act 1981
	The County Courts Act 1984
	The Courts and Legal Services Act 1990
	The Constitutional Reform Act 2005
	Sections 76-84 of the Constitutional Reform Act govern the selection process for Lords Justices of Appeal. Sections 85-93 of the Constitutional Reform Act govern the selection process for the appointment of high court judges, circuit judges, recorders and judges who preside in the county court.
	Appointments to salaried judicial office in the Crown court, county court, high court and Court of Appeal are made until the statutory retirement age is reached. For fee-paid appointments ie recorders and deputy district judges, it is usual for these appointments to be made on a five-year renewable term until retirement under section 21 of the Courts Act as amended by the Courts and Legal Services Act and the Constitutional Reform Act.
	Changes in the qualifications for appointment to these offices are contained in the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Bill currently before this House. There are currently no plans to further amend the legislation regulating the appointment and re-appointment of judges to the courts listed.

Legal Services Bill

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues in HM Treasury on the impact of the Legal Services Bill, if enacted, on the competitiveness of the British legal services industry.

Bridget Prentice: Officials have been in regular contact with their opposite numbers in other departments regarding the Government's proposals to reform the regulation and delivery of legal services. There has also been Ministerial contact where appropriate.
	While the Treasury are clearly concerned to ensure that the appropriateness of the financial provisions in the Bill, they are also concerned to ensure that the Bill provides for greater competition and innovation in the legal sector. Specifically on competitiveness, in summer 2006 my officials participated in a series of high-level discussion groups organised by HM Treasury aimed at examining the international competitiveness of London as a financial centre. This included a focus on legal services and forthcoming changes such as the Legal Services Bill. It is of course paramount to all in Government that we ensure the continued competitiveness of UK legal services industry, both domestically and internationally.

Magistrates

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many magistrates are expected to leave the magistracy in financial year 2007-08.

Harriet Harman: 710 magistrates are expected to retire during the financial year 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. The number of magistrates leaving for all reasons (including resignation, death etc.) varies widely but averages approximately 1,500 per annum.

Police Custody

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what the cost has been of Operation Safeguard in 2007; how many police force invoices have been  (a) received and  (b) paid; and how many more police force invoices she expects to receive;
	(2)  how much has been paid so far under Operation Safeguard to keep court cell accommodation available for prisoners; for what period these payments have been made; and how many prisoners were accommodated in court cells during that period;
	(3)  for how many nights court cell accommodation has been available under Operation Safeguard for prisoners; how many cells were available on those nights; and how many prisoner-nights have been spent in court cells in 2007;
	(4)  for how many nights court cell accommodation made available under Operation Safeguard her Department has not already paid;
	(5)  when she expects Operation Safeguard to end; and what estimate she has made of the likely final cost of  (a) police and  (b) court cell accommodation under Operation Safeguard.

David Hanson: Use of court cells does not form part of Operation Safeguard, which is an agreement with the police to hold prisoners overnight in police cells.
	81 invoices for the use of police cells under Operation Safeguard since October 2006 have been received. To date, 54 of these have been paid to the value of 6,681,300. As different police forces may submit monthly, bi-monthly or consolidate invoices, the number expected is not known.
	Since the beginning of 2007 current data shows that court cells have been used on 373 occasions (as at 13 June 2007) over 16 nights. This does not correspond precisely to the number of prisoners: one occasion means one prisoner night in a court cell.
	To date, one invoice to the value of 120,000 (excluding VAT) has been paid to cover the contingency of having places available in court cells between 17 January and 6 February. 12 prisoner nights were spent in court cells during this period.
	Use of police cells to hold prisoners and of court cells to hold prisoners as a last resort will continue until operational capacity in prisons has increased to a level where all prisoners can be accommodated safely. NOMS is increasing prison capacity and has announced 8,000 new places by 2012.
	We estimate that it costs around 385 per place per night to hold a prisoner in a police cell, and around 300 for every place in a court cell (this cost is incurred whether the cell is used or not).

Prison Service: Industrial Disputes

Colin Burgon: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what steps she has taken to ensure the Joint Industrial Relations Procedure Agreement process is followed regarding the dispute with the Prison Officers Association on the issuing of batons; and whether she intends to forward the dispute to an ACAS appointed arbitrator.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A Consent Order was signed by both the Prison Service and the Prison Officers' Association (POA) on 3 May 2007 clarifying the disputes process under the Joint Industrial Relations Procedural Agreement. The POA wrote to the Prison Service on 8 June asking that it review its position on a number of disputes (including the issuing of extendable batons) in light of this order. This review is currently taking place and I will write to the hon. Member on its completion.

Residence Orders

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of sole residency orders were given to the  (a) mother and  (b) father in each region in England and Wales in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of joint residency orders were given in each region in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Harriet Harman: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information is available on the overall number of residence orders made under section 8 of the Children Act 1989, but the courts in England and Wales do not collect information about who the order is made in favour of from each case record.
	The number of residence orders made in all types of court in England and Wales for the years 1997 to 2005 is as follows.
	
		
			   Residence orders 
			 1997 26,883 
			 1998 30,398 
			 1999 21,286 
			 2000 25,809 
			 2001 29,546 
			 2002 30,006 
			 2003 31,996 
			 2004 31,878 
			 2005 26,523 
		
	
	The numbers of residence orders made broken down by region are only available for the years 2003 to 2005. They are as follows:
	
		
			  Area  2003  2004  2005 
			 Principal Registry of the Family Division 1,460 1,335 970 
			 London 1,897 2,889 2,008 
			 Midlands 5,882 5,262 4,380 
			 North East 5,434 5,739 4,662 
			 North West 4,405 4,595 3,717 
			 South East 6,519 5,775 5,409 
			 South West 3,962 3,943 3,427 
			 Wales and Chester 2,436 2,339 1,951

Road Traffic Offences: Foreigners

Chris Grayling: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many motoring offences were committed by overseas registered vehicles in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion of fines levied in relation to such offences remain outstanding.

Harriet Harman: The information is not collected centrally.

Sentencing: Appeals

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many sentences handed down by each judge in England and Wales were successfully appealed against in each of the last five years.

Harriet Harman: Information on the number of sentences handed down by each judge in England and Wales which have been successfully appealed against in each of the last five years is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Sentencing: Appeals

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many and what percentage of sentences successfully appealed against by  (a) the Attorney-General and  (b) the convicted person were (i) increased and (ii) reduced in each of the last five years.

Harriet Harman: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Attorney-General unduly lenient sentence applications 
			 A-G sentence applications received 153 100 158 122 162 
			 A-G sentence appeals heard 128 108 92 101 108 
			 A-G sentence appeal allowed 91 84 70 64 78 
			 A-G sentence appeal dismissedtrial judges sentence confirmed 37 24 22 37 30 
			 Percentage of A-G sentence applications received that were successful 59.5 84.0 44.3 52.5 48.1 
			   
			  Sentence  a ppeals 
			 Sentence applications received 5,804 5,664 5,809 5,178 5,082 
			 Sentence appeals allowed 1,302 1,685 1,348 1,534 1,391 
			 Sentence appeals dismissed 500 679 589 619 575 
			 Sentence appeals heard 1,802 2,364 1,937 2,153 1,966 
			 Percentage of sentence applications received that were successful 22.4 29.7 23.2 29.6 27.4

Trials

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many trials have been abandoned on technical grounds in each of the last five years, broken down by category of offence; and what the estimated cost to the public purse was of those abandoned trials and the investigations which preceded them.

Harriet Harman: This information is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Young Offender Institutions: Crimes of Violence

Colin Burgon: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what steps she is taking to ensure that prison officers in juvenile offender institutions are protected from assaults with pool cues and other implements which could be used as weapons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Prison Service takes prisoner and staff safety seriously and every prison is required to have in place a violence reduction strategy which requires establishments to do all they can to minimise violence. Additionally, Prison Officers in juvenile offender institutions are given the same defensive training in control and restraint techniques as officers in non-juvenile establishments who face similar risks.

Young Offender Institutions: Crimes of Violence

Colin Burgon: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what  (a) training to officers in (i) juvenile offender institutions and (ii) prisons for adults and  (b) equipment is provided to deal with assaults using weapons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All prison officers employed in public sector prisons receive the same control and restraint training (and are required to complete annual refresher training) to prepare them for all types of incident, regardless of which type of establishment they are posted to. Personal protective equipment is available wherever the risk dictates, again regardless of the type of establishment. All prison officers are trained in its use.

Young Offender Institutions: Crimes of Violence

Colin Burgon: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what factors were taken into account in deciding that prison officers officed in the juvenile estate should not be given access to extendable batons and other protective equipment.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Extendable batons were issued in 2005 to all staff who carried the outdated wooden stave. Officers in juvenile establishments have never carried staves and at the time of the introduction of batons consideration was not given to widening their use. A review is planned later this year to consider what evidence there may be for extending the use of batons to other parts of the estate.